Talespin: A Flight of Chance
by FreezingIceKirby
Summary: Abandoned Eight months after "Mach One For The Gipper", Ace London is jobless, and must do what he can to get by. Luck seems to be on his side though, as General Patton of the Usland Air Force gives him the opportunity to get his job back. Joined by a Thembrian youth, Ace must reclaim an important, yet familiar item from his past.
1. Prologue

Prologue

"_Fallen_"

It is a cold and miserable evening in February, as the sun began to descend into the distance. As the day grew dark, the temperature dropped and the skies became empty. Without anyone around, the long stretch of ocean and land emitted an eerie and unnerving atmosphere, for anyone who might fly across them. It was the type of day that most pilots preferred not to fly in, as it always gave them the impression that something bad could happen at any moment, or at any time.

As the sunlight continued to disappear, a single brown plane flies across a lonely ocean. The pilot is a coyote, and a rather sickly-looking one at that. With a skinny body and grimacing face, it looked like he'd been living the worst days of his life. Garbed in a wrinkled brown aviator's jacket, the coyote sat inside the cockpit of his plane, laying completely still, like he'd died and passed on. He remained like this for some time, as if he were unconcerned where his plane might take him. Soon, a voice emits out of the CB radio of his plane, calling out the pilot's name.

"Max?" said the voice. "Max Keeton, respond."

The coyote opened his eyes, though he made no effort to reach for the microphone to reply. Instead, he leaned his head up and stared at the sky, as a look of misery overtook his face. As he continued to remain motionless, the man on the other end called out for him once more.

"Max Keeton, respond! This is Air Command, do you copy?"

The coyote shook his head and blinked his eyes a few times, as if he had just woken up from a trance. He leaned his head down and stared at his radio, before finally reaching over to grab the microphone. Though he hesitated for a second or two, he finally replied back. He knew he had to, sooner or later.

"Max Keeton here..." said the coyote, barely emoting any emotion in his voice.

"There you are. Is everything alright?."

Max glared at the radio, as if to express that all he wanted was for the man on the other end to stop talking. Despite his feelings, he answered back.

"No, everything's fine. Besides some snowy weather up north, there's nothing to report. No trouble, no pirates, and nothing out of the ordinary. It's all... just the usual."

"That's good!" said the man at the base, with relief in his voice. "Listen, your shift's over now, so you can head home. Get some rest, and we'll see you bright and early tomorrow."

"Alright... Out."

Once the conversation was finished, Max gently put the microphone onto the holder and turned the radio off. He went back to his lifeless position again, staring blankly into the cloudy sky like before. Slowly, he shook his head and closed his eyes, as if the very thought of the next day depressed him.

"Tomorrow... That's when all of this will start over again."

After about an hour later, Max arrived back at his apartment. Once he unlocked the door and stepped inside, he entered his living room. It was a dark and lonely room, filled with a few pieces of furniture here and there, an old lamp, a desk with many letters and papers on it, and a red radio, resting on his single table. To say the least, it was a clean room, kept nice and neat, as if nobody lived there or used the apartment for months.

As he walked into the living room, he turned on a lamp and took a seat in his chair. Sitting motionless, much like when he was inside his plane, he began to think about the boredom he experienced on his patrol, while also thinking of the misery that tomorrow would surely bring. As more thoughts entered his mind, he decides to turn on his radio, hoping some music would clear his thoughts. Instead of music though, he came across the last fifteen minutes of a radio talk show, one that's popular among most pilots. The program usually revolves around the host and his guest of the day, discussing events around the globe, aviation news, among other things. Though it's not something Max usually took an interest in, he decided to leave it be, as if he didn't care what came through the radio at that point.

"I'm just saying that it sounds like a very cruel thing" said the guest, with a hint of anger in his voice. "The guy was down on his luck, the family took him in, and what does he do? He steals all their valuables! Just what is this world coming to!"

The host replies. "I don't know... I really don't. There used to be a time when you could trust people a lot more. Not anymore, I suppose. It's getting to the point where people don't even feel safe in their own homes anymore, regardless of the number of locks on the front door. I think I might have mentioned this story once before, but a while back, I-"

While the two on the radio continued their discussion, Max's attention was set completely on something else in the room. On one of his walls, there were hundreds of newspaper articles, magazine clippings, and other various assortment of pictures, kept up with stick pins and tape. This collage of images all pertained to one thing though; the infamous Don Karnage, and his band of Air Pirates. Many of the headlines read topics like "Karnage and his Pirates Strike Again", to "Notorious Pirates Unstoppable", with most reports containing detailing about their successful heists over the years. Only a few were negative, with one four-year old article in particular sporting an image of an officer making an arrest on Karnage. On that picture, Max stuck a steak knife through the face of the policeman, indicating his disgust for the event.

Max continued to stare at the collection of pictures on the wall, smiling and letting out a small laugh at many of the impressive feats the pirates accomplished. He gazed at them like a little kid, looking upon them like a new toy a parent had bought for their child. After a couple minutes though, his attention was diverted back over to the radio, as the host and guest began to talk about Air Pirates. Max turned in his chair and faced the radio, focusing on it intently.

"Let's discuss something that we haven't talked about in a while" said the guest. "What do you think is going to be done about this Air Pirate menace? I mean, we've all seen how dangerous they are, how tricky they can be... and they always seem to escape custody, too. What needs to be done, in order for this problem to finally go away? Will it ever go away?"

Max grinned, then let out a small laugh. "Like anyone could get rid of them..."

"It is true that, in the past, Don Karnage and his pirates have been quite a nuisance." Answered the host, purposely mispronouncing the pirate leader's name as 'carnage'. "...But that's the thing; 'In the past'. Really, do we even NEED to worry about them anymore?

When Max heard this, his expression turned to confusion. He didn't like what he just heard, and after lowering his head, he debated with himself as to whether or not he thought the radio host was being serious.

"I mean really, what have they done lately? Correct me if I'm wrong, but when was the last time they actually stole anything of importance? Both the Usland Air Force and Khan's fly boy's have been putting them in their place lately, and they never get far with any of the important things they steal. Seriously, even the Thembrian High Marshall doesn't fret over them anymore! You know the worst thing they've done in a while? They robbed some small-town bank, and that's practically it! You know what they've turned into? Petty, small-time thieves, and nothing more."

At that moment, Max's confused expression turned to anger, and he gripped the arms of his chair tightly, making a large indentation in the material. The host continued the discussion...

"Ask anyone you come across, and most of them will say that they don't find them as frightening as they used to be. The only thing Karnage and his so-called 'pirates' are good for now is giving the people a good laugh."

The guest let out a small laugh, before changing his tone to a less-serious one. "Ha, I do see what you mean! I remember a time when they were always the top story in the newspaper. Like others, I was always scared to see just what terrifying thing they did next. To tell you the truth, I can't even recall the last time they showed up on the front page."

"They're has-beens! Why SHOULD we fear them! I don't... at least, not anymore."

"Well then, let me ask you this; Do you think we'll ever be rid of them?"

Max's expression resembled that of a man whose life had just been destroyed. He whispered the word 'No', hoping to hear the host say the same thing.

"You want my honest opinion? If you ask me... I think they'll be exterminated by the end of the year. Why should I think otherwise? I mean-"

"NO!" yelled Max.

On an impulse, he quickly got up from his chair and rushed over to his radio. Using both hands, he picked up the device, and threw it across the room. Making contact with the wall, the radio's bottom broke off, as tiny shards of glass and bits of broken machinery flew out and landed on the floor.

Max, breathing heavy, slowly backed up and fell into his chair. He leaned forward and put his head into both of his hands, remaining motionless as he thought about what he had just heard. The very thought of the Air Pirates being "Exterminated" strangely upset him, to the point that he felt like breaking down in tears. Collecting himself, he eventually stood back up and walked over to the wall with the pictures on it, taking down one of the articles that had Karnage's visage on it. With one hand on the wall, he used the other to hold up the clipping to the light. A miserable look appeared on his face, as he shook his head back and forth.

"It's not true... It can't be true... How... Just how could it...?"

As he gazed at the picture, something the host said had crossed his mind. Looking back at the wall, he soon noticed that all the dates on the articles were at least six months old or more. Rushing into his kitchen, he dug through his waste bin, looking for any of the newspapers he recently threw away. Once he found some, he flipped through them quickly, searching for anything that would prove the host of the radio talk show wrong. Out of the seven newspapers he found, not one single article involved Karnage or his pirates. Max stood in shock, dropping the once-discarded newspapers on the floor of his kitchen, as if the idea that the host might've been right finally hit him.  
"B-but... They can't... A-are they really... ?"

Max left his kitchen and stumbled over to a window in his living room, gazing out of it for a moment or two. He looked at the article of Karnage that was still in his hand, then put it down and lowered his head in severe disappointed. His sorrow ended quickly though, as a crazy idea quickly came to him.

He hurried over to his desk, picking up a thick envelop he had received a week ago from the Air Force. He sorted through the various papers inside, looking for a particular page as he tossed the ones that had no importance to him on the floor. After finding the one he wanted, he quickly glossed over it, all the while nodding his head in approval. Lowering the letter, he grinned at the thought of a plan that he believed was fool-proof.

"Maybe they are... but you know... perhaps they just need something to put them back on top. And I know just what'll do the trick!"

He placed the letter on the desk, then proceeded to walk back over and carefully place the pirate-related article back on the wall, exactly where it was before. With a proud look on his face, he gazed over the collage of pictures once again, for the final time that night.

"Just you wait, guys! I'll help you gain back your rightfully-deserved spot on top. Just you wait..."

Now two days later, and all's quiet at the Usland Air Force base. It is now roughly two o'clock in the morning, and with the exception of the air strip, nearly all the lights have been shut off. The only activity now comes from the night staff and security, though they're just as quiet as the night.

Earlier that day, before the building was locked and shut down, Max found a hiding place inside the plane and storage hangar. It wasn't hard, as the room was reasonably huge, with plenty of nooks and crannies to conceal something not wanting to be seen. Despite his boredom, he waited patiently, hoping the information and date on the letter wouldn't fail him. Sure enough, around two o'clock in the AM, a group of roughly five people finally entered the hangar. Max moved to see who they were, while making sure to stay in the shadows.

Out of the five, the first to enter the building was a man that Max instantly recognized; General Patton, a huge and fearsome dog, and the head-honcho of the entire base. He's second-to-none, except when the five-star General shows up to boss him around. The second to enter was another male dog, though not one that Max recognized right-off hand. He had the makings of a typical pilot, complete with an outfit that nearly resembled the one Max wears, though his was more neat and tidy. Though his mannerisms made him out to be a bit careless, he seemed reliable. The third was a short badger, one of the Patton's scientists, who dressed up in a fine suit that yelled "Smart guy". The last two to enter were the forgettable hired help, who were paid to do nothing more than to handle the heavy lifting, operate the various machinery, and to prepare the runway for planes coming in or going out. Regardless of how careless or busy that might have been, Max knew that if any of them spotted him, it would mean the instant failure of his plan.

Within a short time, the two hired help loaded the cargo onto the plane, while General Patton and the scientist discussed important details with the dog pilot. Moving a bit closer, Max listened in on their conversation, though they were still completely unaware of his presence.

"You have your orders!" said Patton. "You are to fly directly to your destination after you take off. Do not stop for any reason whatsoever, only in the most absolute emergency. Do you understand!"

"Yeah sure, I understand" said the pilot, with a tone of voice that made him appear to be a bit too calm and relaxed.

"Don't foul this up, or your job will be on the line!" said Patton, with a hint of anger in his voice. "Do you get that? I do NOT want a repeat of what happened eight-month's ago."

"Yeah, yeah, I know all about that! It won't happen, trust me!" said the pilot, rolling his eyes and giving a half-motivated salute to the General.

Believing himself to be quite skilled, the dog pilot thought nothing could go wrong... the usual overconfidence that ended up being the downfall of most pilots. The General saluted back, then turned around and walked away. Before following him, the scientist gave a salute of his own, before letting the pilot know about one last thing.

"Oh, I put some coffee in the plane for you. It's a special blend, guaranteed to keep you awake all night... Trust me, you'll need it! Good luck out there!"

The pilot laughed, replied back "Gee, thanks", then turned and walked towards the cargo plane. As the dog put on his aviator's hat and goggles and prepared to open the door, the other four went their separate ways to prepare the runway for his departure. When the coast was clear, Max decided that this would be the best chance he was going to get. With a crowbar in his hand, he carefully snuck up behind the dog, trying not to catch his attention. As the pilot was about to board the plane, he heard someone approaching behind him, and turned around to see who it was. He believed it was the General again, here to scold him one last time before taking off.

"Man, I told you, everything will be-"

Before he could finish, Max struck the dog across the face with the crowbar, instantly knocking him out cold. Once he fell onto the ground, Max took him by the arm and dragged him out of sight, hoping that nobody would find him until he was long gone. Once out of view, he took the hat of the unconscious pilot and put it on himself, then proceeded to board the cargo plane. Once inside, all Max had to do now was wait for the hangar doors to open, so he could finally take off and continue his plan. He hoped that by putting on the pilot's hat, nobody would recognize the switch if they looked into the plane window. Both his and the dog pilot's fur were nearly colored the same, so from a distance, Max believed they surely resembled each other. Luckily for him, his plan worked, and without even suspecting a thing, the General signaled for the plane to take off.

"You're in the clear. Good luck!"

Max ignores the General on the radio, as he activated the engine of the plane without hesitation. With each second that went by, the coyote became increasingly nervous, wondering if something would go wrong. Would they notice the switch? Would that pilot regain consciousness and spoil the whole thing? He knew that anything could go wrong within a split second, but at the same time, he knew he had to act casual.

Luckily for Max, nothing went awry. The hangar doors opened, the cargo plane slowly crept out onto the runway, and within moments, began its ascent into the sky. After a minute or two, the plane disappeared into the distance, and Max knew at that point that part one of his plan had succeeded. The coyote laid back in the pilot seat and sighed in relief, believing that the 'hard' part was finally over. He smiled, before leaning forward and letting out a laugh.

"Now... now things can change. Things will change... For the better."

From that moment on, with the exception of the exact location, nothing stood in-between Max and his meeting with the Air Pirates. His plan to deliver the important cargo to them was underway, and he believed that nothing could, or would, stand in his way now.


	2. Chapter One

Chapter 1

"_A Dim Hope_"

It's three o'clock in the afternoon, and much like a couple days ago, the skies are disturbingly quiet. A light fog fills the air, enough to limit the visibility for pilots who would take flight. It's another one of those days where most people would rather just stay indoors where it's warm, and forget about all the troubles in the world... Unless you had no choice, much like the man who spends a lot of his time at the Fly-In Cafe', a plane refueling and restaurant station for pilots who are always on the go.

Meet a wolf named Ace London; pilot extraordinaire! His skills in a plane were more than people's expectations were lead to believe, and many always referred to him as one of the best. Despite being a test pilot and high-ranking officer of the Usland Air Force, he was treated more like a celebrity by the people. His presence would always draw a crowd, and he knew how to charm and win over the people. The tales of his various adventures, though usually a stretch from the real truth, would captivate his audience, and they'd always come back to hear more. He'd always make it a rule to point out that 'Nothing' was impossible for him, and when a crowd cheered his name, he'd always top it off with his trademark point and catchphrase of 'You got that right!' He was a crowd-pleaser, to say the least.

Of course, that all changed, eight months ago. While on the job of transporting a very important piece of technology, he accidentally mixed his content with that of a civilians cargo. Determined not to take the blame for the incident, and believing his reputation and popularity would allow him to get away with it, he told a lie, one that made him out as the victim instead. Things did not go his way, and after getting tangled up with Air Pirates, as well as opening fire on said civilian, Ace learned just how brutal and swift retribution could be. Soon after the incident, he lost both his job and rank at the Air Force, as well as his dignity, popularity, and reputation. People also found out how he only did certain things for the fame and rewards, which only condemned him further in the eyes of pilots and non-pilots alike. Now, most people barely pay any mind to him, and the once-great pilot has now fallen into obscurity. The last memory most people have of him was when his picture was taken for the newspaper, describing him as 'an embarrassment' to not only the Air Force, but to all pilots in general.

Jobless for the last couple of months, Ace has been trying desperately hard to do whatever he could to get by. After getting fired from three jobs within the last eight months, not too many people would hire, let alone even talk to him anymore. His source of income now comes from the help-wanted ads in the local newspaper, though at the end of the day, it never added up to much. Even if it did, some days it didn't matter, as his back luck followed him there too. His new reputation proceeded him, to the point that he'd be lucky if anyone even talked to him after the mere mentions his name.

Luckily, he stumbled across one more help-wanted ad in the newspaper; one that required a pilot, which was was right up his alley. Without wasting time, he walked over to the restaurant phone booth and dialed the number. From the look on his face, you could tell his nerves were on-edge.

"Come on... come on..." whispered Ace, gripping the section of newspaper that contained the number in his hand.

Over by the counter, the owner and waitress of the restaurant watched Ace. Her name was Evelyn Parks, a slenderly-built dog in her mid-forty's, dressed in an apron you'd expect a cook to wear. She's helped take care of Ace for the past couple of months, providing what little she could to help him survive. So long as he helped her and the restaurant out in various ways, she'd provide him a warm meal and fuel for his plane. Evelyn always wished that she could do more for him, but it's helped him survive the last couple of months regardless.

As she watched the desperate wolf, she noticed his ears perking up, indicating that someone had finally picked up the phone. Whoever it was didn't speak right away, though Ace didn't mind, so long as the man on the other end didn't hang up without saying anything first. He was willing to remain patient, if it meant getting the job.

"Erm... Hello?" said the man on the phone.

"Yes, yeah-uh, h-hello!" said Ace, a bit over-excited. "I'm calling to inquire about an ad I saw in the paper. It says you need a pilot to deliver some goods."

As Evelyn watched Ace listen the man's reply, she could see him whispering the words "Come on" under his breath. She stopped what she was doing for a moments or two, watching the wolf intently, hoping to hear that some good news had finally found its way to him for once. After a couple of seconds though, Ace's ears dropped back down, and his once-eccentric expression changed to disappointment. The conclusion was obvious; for whatever reason, he didn't get the job.

"...Ohh... I... I see."

"I'm sorry sir. Thanks for offering to take up the job though. "

"Yeah..." said Ace, too disappointed to even say 'Goodbye' as he hung up.

He stood inside the phone booth for a second or two, before exiting and walking over to his table to sit back down. Leaning forward and left-elbow resting on the table, he propped his head up with his hand, sitting there ever so quietly as he stared down at the table. Evelyn soon approached him, pouring more steaming coffee into his cup. Ace briefly looked up to see what she was doing.

"Oh... Thanks, Evie."

"No problem, hon. So, what happened this time?" inquired Evelyn, who took a seat next to the wolf.

Ace took his hand off his face and sat back in the chair. He rolled his eyes, before replying back to her.

"Exactly what I knew would happen, that's all. At least this time, it wasn't my name that got me rejected from the job." He let out a sigh, before finishing his sentence. "Somebody got to him before I did."

Evelyn let out a small laugh before answering. "You just can't seem to win, can you?"

"Well, if that wasn't obvious!" Ace said sarcastically, with a bit of aggression in his voice.

Evelyn didn't say anything, realizing that her joke may have been a little inappropriate for what just happened. After a couple of second though, Ace realized what he had just did and said, and looked over at Evelyn, ashamed.

"...Sorry about that. I'm just... I'm just a bit frustrated, that's all."

"You don't have to apologize. At this point, who wouldn't be?"

Ace sighed. "I just don't know what I'm going to do. That was the last ad in the paper... and I really needed it."

"Something's bound to come up, I just know it." said Evelyn, as she put her hand on Ace's arm to rub it. "I know it's hard, but just have a little more faith."

"I'll try... but things are just starting to look a little too grim. The house bills are really starting to pile up, and I may have to sell my plane after all, and... and I... I-" Ace stuttered, unable to finish his sentence.

His plane had always been his pride and joy, and the thought of selling or losing 'her' was simply unbearable to him. As if his heart had been broken, he put his head into both his hands and shook it slowly. Evelyn could see that he was suffering, but at that point, she didn't know what to do or say. Unfortunately, her time for consoling the wolf was up, as there were customers she had to attend to.

"I have to get back to work now, hon. You know you're welcome here, so stay as long as you like. Just... Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

Ace removed his hands from his head and lifted it up to nod towards her, before returned to his previous position of relaxing back in the chair. She walked around the table and gave the grimacing wolf a pat him on the shoulder, before heading over to serve one of her new customers. Ace remained at his table, completely still, only moving a couple of times to continue looking out the window. As he stared at the foggy sky, he began to remember his days in the Air Force, back when he flew through the skies without a worry in the world. He wondered if he could ever get those days back.

About an hour goes by, and Ace hadn't moved from his chair. At times, he'd continue staring out the window, stir the now-cold coffee that he never drank, or pretend not to hear the other customers, as they talked about "That pilot over there", the one that "used to be popular until...". He sat there, trying to figure out just exactly what to do, or what he could do next. There were so many new walls along the path of his life, and he didn't know how he was going to get past them. His future was shrouded in uncertainty, to the point that it often terrified him.

As Ace continued to stare blankly out the window, he paid no attention to the next person that entered the restaurant. Whoever it was, didn't look like he stopped in to grab a bite to eat. Firmly holding a folder in his left hand, the man looked around the restaurant dining area, as if he were trying to find someone or something.

"Oh, take a seat. I'll be right with you in a minute" said Evelyn, who was busy preparing a meal.

The man didn't pay any mind to her, as if he didn't hear her at all. After a moment, he made his way over to the table that Ace was sitting at, walking at a casual pace. Once he arrived, he looked at the Wolf, who was completely fixated on staring at the fog-blurred sky. After realizing that the pilot hadn't noticed him yet, he called out his full name, which he somehow knew.

"Ace? Ace London?"

Ace shook his head, trying to focus his eyes on whoever called out his name. Much to his surprise, it was a Thembrian, and a young one at that, though he dressed in a brown jacket, as opposed to the maroon color most Thembrians wore. Unlike many of them, he was in far better shape, not too skinny nor fat in any way. Ace noticed a few other things about him, like his odd choice to wear fingerless gloves during the winter, the unusual-for-a-Thembrian-to-wear badge he sported, the white shirt that stuck out under the coat, and his hair that somewhat resembled his own. One thing for sure though, the young man didn't have a hostile look on his face, which was, again, unusual for a Thembrian... At least, going by what Ace knew about them.

Rarely has Ace dealt with, let alone stepped foot inside, the country of Thembria itself. At that point, he couldn't help but wonder what he wanted. Sitting up properly in his chair, the wolf spoke what was on his mind.

"A Thembrian? What's Thembria want with me?" he said, with confusion in his voice.

"No, you've got me all wrong, Ac-... sir. I'm not a representative from Thembria." Without hesitation, the Thembrian pulled up a chair at the opposite end of the table and sat down, placing the folder down in front of him. "My name is Nathaniel Duvall. I'm a cadet of the Usland Air Force, and I was ordered to locate you."

"Oh great, what do they want with me now?" said Ace, lowering his head and rolling his eyes.

At that point, he half-expected the cadet to hand him a summons of some kind, or something that would put more hardship into his life. Though he had no idea what the kid was going to say, he braced himself, expecting to hear the worst.

"Relax, sir, this has nothing to do with the incident that occurred on June sixth of last year."

Ace looked back up at the cadet, raising an eyebrow. He found it strange that not only did the Air Force want to locate him, but it had nothing to do with the day that constantly haunts him. Before he could say anything, Nathaniel continued.

"I'm here because the Air Force... That is, the General requires your assistance."

"Wait, are you serious?"

Ace didn't know what to think at that point. The general's displeasure towards Ace, and the many things he did that day, were no secret, as he often talked about it to those who asked. He found the whole thing a little too unbelievable.

"Kid, are you trying to pull my leg? If you mean General Patton, then there's no way he'd ask me for any favors!"

"Well, despite what you may believe, he has. Are you rejecting the job before you even hear what it's all about?"

Ace didn't like the tone of the cadet's voice, but if there's an opportunity for him to make some money, then he wasn't going to pass it up. He was in too lousy of a predicament to do otherwise.

"Sure, I'll listen." said Ace, with uncertainty in his voice.

Nathaniel picked up and opened the folder he'd placed on the table earlier, and took out a single photo. He placed it in front of Ace, indicating for him to look at it.

"Do you recognize this pilot?"

Ace picked up the photo. At first, the picture of the scrawny coyote didn't look familiar to him at all. After a second or two, it finally dawned on him, and he nodded his head.

"Yeah, I know him. He's a pilot for the Air Force. I don't know too much about him though, except the guy obviously has a few screws loose. 'Mack', wasn't it?"

"'Max', actually. His name is Max Keeton, and currently, he's a wanted criminal."

Ace looked at the picture a seconds more, before handing it back to the cadet.

"Oh yeah? What'd he do? Must've been pretty big."

"He stole something of great importance from the base during the middle of the night... In fact, from what I hear, you might be a little familiar with the item."

As he stared at the cadet in confusion, Nathaniel took out another photo from the folder, again placing it in front of the wolf. Ace picked up the photo, but as he looked at it, he grew a little uneasy. He recognized the item instantly, as it was something he could've gone the rest of his life without seeing again.

Ace sat there quietly, sporting a uncomfortable look on his face, before looking over at the cadet.

"...The... The jet engine..."

"That's right. It was to be shipped during the night to another base. According to an investigation, Max stowed away inside the base's hangar, and when opportunity knocked, he attacked the pilot who was to fly the plane. Luckily for us, he briefly turned around and saw a glimpse of his attackers face. Unfortunately, by the time he had regained consciousness, Max had a three-hour head start."

Once his nerves calmed back down, he slid the picture back over to Nathaniel. In an attempt to clear his thoughts of the bad memories the image of the jet engine brought back to him, Ace tried to focus on the cadet and mission in front of him. He decided to ask the first question that came to his mind, when he believed that Max surely didn't want the device for himself.

"So, where do you think he's taking it? You think he's going to sell it to some foreign county? Maybe he's taking it to Shere Khan... No doubt he'd love to get his hands on technology like that."

Nathaniel shook his head. "No, we don't believe he's taking it to any of them. "

"Huh? How do you know?"

"Well... we believe we know where he's taking it. After an investigation team searched his apartment, they found a pretty big clue that's too hard to ignore. Here, take a look."

Nathaniel put both the photo of the jet engine and Max back into the folder, then pulled out two more. Again, he placed them in front of Ace, who didn't hesitate to pick them both up. As he looked over them, an uneasy expression appeared on his face. Whatever it was, it must have been quite disturbing.

"What... the... Just what is all this?" said Ace, shaking his head.

"Newspaper articles, magazine clippings, you name it. Each and every one of them all have something to do with Karnage and his Air Pirates. It's kinda creepy, isn't it?"

"What, did Max have some sort of affinity for the pirates? I guess he really did have a few screws loose after all. What else you got? Any more clues?"

"Not really. The apartment was pretty much spotless, except for a broken radio, a few scattered letters on his desk and floor, and a handful of newspapers laying on his kitchen floor."

"What does all of this mean, anyway?" said Ace, as he handed the photo's back over to the cadet.  
"We don't know exactly. All we can assume is that he intends to deliver the jet engine to the Air Pirates, for reasons unknown to us."

Nathaniel places the photo's back into the folder, then slid the whole thing to his side, indicating that was all he had to show. As he did that, Ace sat back into his chair, crossing his arms as he prepared to ask more questions.

"So, what exactly does the General want me to do, anyway?"

"He wants you to find the cargo plane, obtain the jet engine, and bring Max into custody."

"And just how exactly am I suppose to find him? He's had over twelve hours to search for the pirates by now. How do we know he hasn't found them already? His plane may have been shot down for all we know."

"Well, the simple truth is, we don't. We're just assuming that he hasn't yet."

"Oh, yeah? What makes you guys think that...?"

"Well, surely you've noticed that the pirates haven't been as active as they used to be. Running into them seems to be a rarity these days. Besides, Pirates were last spotted to the north recently, near the path the pilot was suppose to take. That's why they were making a delivery during the night, in hopes that the night sky would help him get by unnoticed. 'North' is surely where Max will start looking for them first. Other than that, he's bound to stop at a gas station to refuel, or even stop to take a break somewhere. We'll ask townsfolk and dock workers if they've seen the plane, and if they have, they'll point us in the right direction."

"I suppose that makes sense... Though I don't like the idea of heading up north. I heard they're having some bad snow storms up there."

"Have you ever flown in that kind of weather before?"

"Sure, it's just not something I prefer... By the way, how many others pilots are looking for Max? You never told me."

"That's because I don't know the exact number. I'm sure we won't be the only ones looking though."

Ace leaned forward again, resting both arms on the table. Finally, he came out with the big question, the one that would determine if he'd take the job or not.

"Alright, so... What's in it for me, anyway? Did Patton say?"

"Well, it all depends on how well you do during the mission. If you perform your job adequately, he plans on give you your old job back."

The cadet's words grabbed Ace's attention instantly, as a shocked look overtook his face. Within seconds, his head filled with so many mixed emotions. It sounded too good to be true, and a part of him thought it had to be. Still, the idea that all his problems could go away with one mission was too much for him to ignore or pass up, and .he found himself believing it anyway.

"My... my old job! Really...!"

His expression slowly changed to frustration though, as he remembered a very important detail. It was something that couldn't be left ignored or unanswered.

"Wait a minute! Kid, maybe you don't know this, but I was discharged from the Air Force! I can't just come back like nothing ever happened, especially after doing the things I did. Or maybe... Wait, is Patton going to appeal my discharge? Can he do that?"

"Well... That's the thing, Ace. There's a rumor going around saying that you were never discharged at all."

"What!" said Ace, with a look of surprise on his face. "How do you... where did you hear...?"

"Look, I don't know all the details, but from what I've heard, it never went through. Let me put it this way; Maybe this is the General's way of giving you another chance? If I were you, I wouldn't blow it... that is, unless you don't need it. I'm sure such a skilled pilot like you could get a job just about anywhere."

Ace just sat there in awe, trying to absorb everything he'd been told. Really, it all sounded just too fantastic to be real. After staring through the window once again for a second or two, he turned his head to look over at Evelyn, who''d been listening in on the whole conversation. She looked at him and shrugged her shoulders, indicating for him to do what he felt he needed to do.

"How about it, 'Ace London'?" said the cadet, trying to regain the wolf's attention. "What's your decision? Choose quickly, because the more time you spend sitting here in this restaurant thinking about it, the further Max strays away from you."

The overwhelming thoughts of getting his old life back still swarmed his mind, which made it hard for him to think straight. At that point, Ace wanted a couple of hours to absorb everything, but he knew he didn't have that luxury. He was desperate to get his job back, and even more desperate to make some money to keep his house and plane. Despite the possible dangers of the mission, and disregarding how far-fetched the cadet's story sounded in places, he felt he had to do it... he was too desperate not to.

"Alright... I'm in."

Ace stood up and reached over to shake Nathaniel's hand, the usual way of finalizing a deal. Strangely, the cadet was hesitant at first, with an even stranger look of surprise on his face as he looked at the wolf's palm. It only lasted a second, as Nathaniel finally stood up himself to complete the shake.

"Oh, y-yes, I'm glad to hear it."

With that, Ace let go of Nathaniel's hand and grabbed his fur-collared coat off the back of his chair to put it on. As he put his arms through the sleeves, he asked the cadet the last question on his mind.

"So, where exactly should I start first? Got any specific direction or town I should head to first?"

As Nathaniel reached over to pick up the folder on the table, he hesitated when he heard what Ace said. From the expression on his face alone, it was obvious that he had skipped over an important detail. Facing the wolf, the cadet ignored his question and said something else.

"Oh... uhh... About that. I forgot to mention something." 

When Ace heard his words, he stopped what he was doing and paid close attention to listen to just exactly what Nathaniel had 'skipped'. The cadet looked uneasy himself, as if he were unsure how Ace would react to the forgotten detail.

"You won't be going alone. I'm to fly alongside you."

Ace scoffed, as he zipped up his coat. "No offense kid, but I'd rather you didn't. You'd just slow me down."

"I'm sorry to break it to you" said Nathaniel, with a tone that made him sound like he was a bit insulted by the wolf's words, "but it's part of the deal. I'm to keep an eye on you at all times. It's either that, or no deal."

Ace rolled his eyes. "I should've known Patton wouldn't trust me that much. Well, if I don't have any choice... Look, just meet me outside, kid, and I'll be out in a minute or two."

Nathaniel nodded his head. "Alright. I'll be waiting by my plane."

With that, the cadet picked up the folder, pushed in his chair, then proceeded to exit the restaurant. As he watched him leave, Ace adjusted his coat and brushed it off slightly, then walked over to talk to Evelyn one last time, before he departed. She had a concerned look on her face, as if she didn't know what to make out of the whole situation, despite being supportive of his choice.

"I guess I was right... Something came up after all, huh?"

"It did... and it sounds pretty crazy, doesn't it? What do you make of it all?"

"I don't know... but, do me a favor, and just stay safe, alright? Don't overexert yourself out there, okay?

Age shrugged his shoulders. "Unfortunately, I have to... This might be my last chance, and I don't know if I'm ever going to get another opportunity like this again. I guess... It all comes down to this."

"I know..." said Evelyn, in a low voice.

"Besides, if this works, maybe I can finally pay off that tab that I owe you." said Ace, forcing a smile on his face.

Evelyn smiled, as she let out a small laugh. "I've told you before, hon, you don't have to worry about that."

"Yeah... but you know, if it hadn't been for you, I don't think I would've survived these past months. I guess what I'm trying to say is, Evie..." Ace shook his head, correcting himself. "Evelyn... Thanks... you know, for everything."

"You're welcome." said Evelyn, as she smiled and gave Ace a hug. "If you ever need anything, don't be afraid to come back here. I'll save you a table."

"I appreciate it."

"Well..." said Evelyn, as the two separated themselves from each other. "you'd better get going. I wouldn't want you to keep that pilot waiting. Before you head out, go fill up your plane with fuel. Take as much as you need. It's on the house."

Ace was almost left speechless by her kind generosity yet again. He was lucky; over the months under her care, she came to know just how much that plane meant to him, and Evelyn did what she could to help him take care of it. Ace knew that this was yet another way for her to help him keep his true love in the air.

"T...Thanks... I really don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything, hon. Now, I've got my customers to tend to... so, I guess I'll see you later. Just make sure you come back once you're done... I'll want to hear the good news."

She rubbed him on the shoulder, before picking up her notepad to serve her new customers. As she left his side, Ace took a deep breath, and walked over to the door. Instead of opening it and exiting, he hesitated for a couple of seconds, still trying to wrap his head around not only the mission, but the idea that things could possible turn out alright for him after all. As he stood there, Evelyn decided to call his attention one last time.

"You know, it's just like you used to say... Nothing's too difficult for Ace London... right?"

Ace smiled, acknowledging that he knew she was trying to cheer him up. He turned around and gave Evelyn his usual trademark point, something he hadn't done for over half a year. With a grin on his face, he proclaimed "You got that right!" in a low voice, before finally exiting the restaurant. Evelyn smiled as the door closed, before returning back to serve her customers.

Outside, Ace stepped a few yards away from the door, before stopping to observe the current condition of the weather. Unfortunately, the temperature was still quite low, enough for his breath to be visible, and the fog from before remained, with no signs of it disappearing. Looking around, he noticed Nathaniel waiting patiently next to his plane, much like he said he would. Sadly for him, Ace wasn't impressed by one what he saw. His plane was those junk models they usually lent to new recruits, though the only reason he knew this was because he once spent some time in one himself. Even in his younger days, he was never impressed by them, and after buying the beauty he uses now, he never wanted to pilot one again.

Remember Evelyn's kind offer, he decided to refuel his plane first, before taking off. Instead of walking over to the cadet, Ace raised his voice to catch his attention.

"Hey, kid! I'm gonna go put some fuel in the plane. I'll be ready in a minute!"

Nathaniel waved to let him know that he heard him, as he watched the wolf walk towards his plane. Once Ace reached it, he quickly jumped into the cockpit and turned the engine on. The motor made a nice hum, the type that would be considered pleasant music to any dedicated pilot's ears. Once ready, he slowly moved the plane over to one of the various gas pumps, and upon arrival, turned off the motor and jumped out. After inserting the nozzle and waiting for the tank to fill, Ace began to look over and observe his pride and joy. Despite the lack of funds, he'd managed to keep the old girl practically spotless and undamaged, though some parts were in need of a tune-up. Much like Evelyn, his plane had also helped him survive these past months, so he made sure to take exceptionally good care of her.

"Well, girl... This might be our last shot. Think you're up to it?" said Ace, as he placed his hand on the side of the plane. "Maybe after this is over, I can finally make some proper repairs on you. Hah... You're still the best-looking plane in the sky though..."

As Ace said this, Nathaniel approached him and his plane from behind, though he kept his distance by a good yard or two. Overhearing the conversation, the cadet briefly smiled, before looking away to change his expression to a more serious one. Deciding not to waste any more time, he walked up a little closer to Ace, with his arms held behind his back.

"Do you always talk to your plane?" said the cadet, sounding somewhat sarcastic.

Though is remark annoyed him, Ace tried not to show it. He removed his hand off his plane, and stuck them both in his pockets. He turned his head to focus on the gas nozzle, as he spoke back to the cadet.

"...You're too young to understand something like this, kid. Sometimes, thing's are more than just a piece of machinery."

The cadet shrugged his shoulders. "If you say so. All I see is an old plane that looks past its prime. Sure that thing's not going to fall apart on us? I have to question the sta-"

Before Nathaniel could finish his sentence, Ace stopped him dead in his tracks. He turned around, glaring at the young cadet as he gritted his teeth in anger. Of all the things Ace learned to keep his cool with, insults to his pride and joy was not one of them.

"Grrrr... You watch your mouth, you little tusk-nosed punk! If you knew ANYTHING about planes, you'd know that this is one of the fastest, AND FINEST, planes on the market!"

As he said this, Ace approached the cadet and aggressively poked him on the chest, making sure his point got through to him loud and clear. With each jab of the wolf's finger, Nathaniel couldn't help but flinch and take a small step back, indicating that the force was hurting his chest. Eventually, Ace stopped, though his frustrated expression didn't disappear as he pointed his index finger at the cadet's face.

"DON'T let me catch you saying something like that again! You got that!"

Once he had finished scolding the cadet, Ace turned away and walked back over to his plane. While he did this, Nathaniel placed his hand over the point of his chest that Ace bruised, still flinching slightly from the lingering pain. Instead of moaning or going back at the wolf with physical or verbal anger, he looked down in shame, as he tried to apologized for what he said.

"Ace, I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."

Ace sighed in frustration, interrupting the cadet once again, as he spoke without turning around to face him. "Lets just get going. It's bad enough I have to babysit some kid... I don't need insults to be part of the job as well."

Though he knew how upset the wolf was, Nathaniel wasn't sure what he could do or say to amend things. After raising his head back up, he decided that instead of trying and possibly making matters worse, the best thing was to just start the mission.

"... We'll... We'll head north first. We can make a stop at a couple of towns to see if anyone has seen the cargo plane, and we'll go from there. Set your channel... you're radio, I mean, to channel four... that's... that's what I normally use. Is that alright with you?"

Ace remained quiet, replying only with a nod of his head, to let the cadet know that he heard him. After waiting a few seconds, Nathaniel deduced that the wolf was done talking with him, so he decided to say nothing more either. As he walked back over to his plane, he turned to look back at Ace only once, as the feeling of guilt still dwelled in his mind.

After taking out the gas nozzle and climbing back into the cockpit, Ace looked over at the cadet, who was slowly climbing into his plane. Though he was hard to see, there was no mistaking the bereaved look on Nathaniel's face. At that moment, Ace reflected on what had just happened, as he too began to feel guilty in regards to how his anger got the best of him once again. Tilting to the left as he put his palm on his forehead, he shook his head in disappointment.

"Ace, you idiot... You did it again." he said, before removing his hand from his forehead and staring at the dashboard of his plane. "I'd better apologize to him later... though maybe now, he knows just how serious this whole thing is to me. I don't know who you are... just don't let me down, kid."

Deciding not to dwell on the subject any further, Ace started his plane up yet again, this time to take off.

Within half a minute, Ace and his plane were in the air, piercing through the thick sky. As expected, Nathaniel followed closely behind him, not letting him out of his site the entire time. Though the day started off a bit rocky, he wondered if the small hope he found today would now lead him to a brighter tomorrow. All he has to do was find one cargo plane, piloted by one man, and safely acquire that one item. Ace was determined to prove himself, with the belief that this was his last chance to do so.


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter 2

"_Anger and Fear_"

"Come on Ace, you can do it... you have to..."

It was these very words that Ace repeated to himself over and over again, as he and the cadet Nathaniel began their search for the stolen cargo plane. Flying across the skies, he couldn't help but imagine what his life could be like, if he got his old job and rank back. No longer would he have to worry about money, losing his house, selling his plane, or any other troublesome day-to-day concern... they'd all be gone... or so he optimistically assumed. The very thought alone gave him the motivation to do everything he could to complete the mission.

Still, Ace knew that he couldn't dream of such grandeur for too long, as he had an important job in front of him. Pushing all that to the side, he instead tried to remember everything he could about Max Keeton, the man whom he was currently looking for. During his days at the Air Force, before his now-supposed discharge, Ace couldn't recall hearing about or seeing too much of the coyote. He was never in the paper, he never stood out, and he never received an award for some sort of accomplishment in aviation. The best way he knew how to describe him, going by his vague memory alone, was that he was simply just 'there'. With this knowledge, Ace felt assured that his expertise and skills in a plane gave him the upper hand. So long as he avoided any form of confrontation with the air pirates, he began to believe the mission would be a cinch for a talented pilot like himself... That is, if the cadet doesn't slow him down.

Hours passed, as the two flew up north and stopped at one location to the next, in their attempt to gather any sort of information that could possibly lead them in the right direction. Unfortunately, the area they decided to search first was also covered in a winter fog, though something else made it worse; snow. Ace knew they'd be heading into it eventually, though he never expected it so soon. Despite being a light fall, it still made things somewhat hard to see, as they now had to wear goggles to keep the snow out of their eyes. To make matters worse, the sharp drop in temperature, especially at their elevation, made things more difficult as well. All in all, Ace hoped they would be done with the mission soon, as the cold and snow was something he wasn't too good with.

Sadly, with each new location they visited, Ace discovered that temperature, visibility, and weather were the least of his problems. Again, his reputation proceeded him, to the point that many would refuse to give him the time of day. Civilians, longshoreman's, and pilots alike knew about his deceptions and lies of the past, and without even considering the possibility that what he was doing might have been for redemption, nobody cared enough to find out. He often received the same cold, vindictive reception, no matter where he went or who he approached.

"What, you think I'd help a liar like you!"

"Get out of here! You don't deserve any help!"

"I don't care to know what you want or what you're doing. Leave."

"You're a disgrace to pilots!"

"After what you've done, how can you show your face in public!"

"How'd a jerk like you avoid going to jail, where you really belong!"

"Yeah, I bet you're only doing this for the fame and glory again, huh?"

"You don't deserve those wings!"

"What, you think YOU are worth helping? Don't make me laugh!"

For some, they felt betrayed by Ace. Nobody knew of what they now considered "The real him", and were ashamed to admit that they would've followed and looked up to him in the past. Though not everyone met him with such disdain, others couldn't help but give him a piece of their mind. To them, he was nothing more than a corrupt pilot, one many wished would just go away.

Though Ace expected lukewarm reactions, he never thought it would've been as bad as what he had experienced. Sadly, Nathaniel's luck didn't fare any better, as traveling with the wolf often gave him the same uninviting response. Eventually, the cadet had to end up speaking for the both of them, though even then, they came up short-handed. Taking into consideration the snow and winter fog, it became difficult for anyone to see anything in the skies, even if they had been paying attention. After coming across so many dead ends, the two felt as if they were hunting a ghost in a world that rejected them.

The constant shunning, the knowledge that they weren't any closer to their goal, and the freezing temperatures began to take their toll on Ace. His once-optimistic attitude quickly turned to rage, as he began to question why his new reputation had turned into such a seemingly-impassable hurdle. All he wanted was some information, which people refused to give him. All he wanted was to prove himself, which nobody would allow. All he wanted was to live a happy life, which seemed to be something that was denied to him. Never could he have imagined everything he had done in the past would've lead up to all of this, and it frustrated him to no end.

As the two continued, this time searching the land and skies instead of making so many frequent stops, the sun began to disappear into the horizon. Though the lack of sunlight limited their visibility even more, Ace forced himself to continue on. Fortunately, the fog was now gone, making it a little easier for the two to see ahead of them. Still, as the light began to diminish, as well as the snow still blocking up their goggles, Nathaniel knew it would be useless to continue their search. Besides that, he was getting hungry and tired, and knew Ace had to be the same.

Picking up the microphone of his radio, he hoped the wolf would listen to reason, and agree to stop for the day.

"Hey, Ace? Ace, do you read me?"

The cadet's transmission went ignored, as the wolf was too angry and focused on the ground and sky in front of him to reply back. Assuming he just didn't hear him, Nathaniel decided to try again.

"Ace... can you hear me? We've been at this for a long time, you know? The sun's starting to go down, and neither of us have eaten for a while. What do you say we call it a night?"

Nathaniel released the button on the microphone, hoping Ace would reply back this time. Again, there was no answer, prompting the cadet to believe he was being ignored. Finally, after a few moments, Ace responded to him, though he didn't sound too happy.

"Shouldn't you be keeping your eyes on the ground? I thought you're supposed to be helping me!"

"Ace, I know you're frustrated, and I know you're trying to be all gung-ho about finding this guy, but you've gotta take a break eventually... Besides, there hasn't even been any sightings of Air Pirates, so surely they haven't found him either. Why don't we continue our search tomorrow?"

Ace quickly responded. "Look, kid, if you want to give up and go back home, fine! But I'm going to find this guy, even if it takes me all night! I'll do it, with or without your help!"

Nathaniel shook his head in disappointment, before lightly tossing the microphone up onto the dashboard of his plane. He knew the wolf was being stubborn, though he couldn't blame him for his attitude. After what he had witnessed back in town, Nathaniel understood why Ace was so hostile towards him, and why he was so persistent. Realizing that he really needed someone to help him, the cadet decided to try his best to not disappoint him any further. Ignoring his exhaustion and hunger pains, he continued the search alongside Ace.

It's now an hour later, and the sun had completely disappeared. Only the light of distant towns and cloud-covered moon illuminates the sky now, and nothing else. Despite this, Ace refused to quit, still insisting on continuing his mission. Nathaniel, on the other hand, gave up trying to spot the cargo plane, knowing very well that he wouldn't be able to see much. Becoming frustrated himself, the cadet decided to try and convince Ace one more time, even if he knew the wolf would just snap back at him.

"Ace, come on, you can't possibly see anything either. There's barely even enough light to read by. Why don't we just call it a night?"

As he expected, his request did nothing more than increase Ace's frustrations. He quickly grabbed the microphone of his radio, and yelled at the cadet.

"Kid, quit you're crying! Seriously, is that the only thing your generation knows how to do!"

Nathaniel glared at his partner's plane. "W-what? That has nothing to do with anything! With the lack of light, we could've passed right over the cargo plane, and not even know it! Come on, you know this!"

"You know what, kid? If we don't see him, it's because YOU'RE BEING DISTRACTING! Now, kid, how about you just do me a favor; SHUT UP, and keep your eyes ON THE GROUND!"

Nathaniel let out an angry moan, as he tried desperately hard not to argue back. Dropping the microphone onto his lap, he placed his head into his left hand, in an attempt to calm himself down. Looking over at Ace's plane, the cadet began to wonder just how much longer his partner was willing to keep this up. Would he really continue on, even to the point of ignoring his own exhaustion? And what if that happened? Would he pass out and crash, resulting in his untimely demise?

Nathaniel knew that he couldn't let that happen, as he came to realize that he was the only person that could save him now. Knowing that Ace wouldn't listen to what he believed to be 'excuses', he instead tried to calm him down. Picking up his microphone, the cadet spoke in a calm voice, in his attempt to talk to the wolf one last time.

"Alright, I'll admit, I'm just a cadet, and I'm not as experienced as someone like you... But, I do know a few things about flying, and I know that what you're doing now... It most-likely goes against everything you've been taught... and maybe everything you've taught, too. Ace... this isn't how you should be remembered. Don't allow yourself to become the man who crashed and died, simply because you didn't know when to stop. You're better than this... I-I know that right now, after everything that's been said and done to you today, you might not believe it... but you are."

Like earlier, there was no answer.. Disappointed, Nathaniel lowered his microphone, believing that what he said went ignored yet again. Much to his surprise, Ace answered back a moment or two later... though this time, he wasn't angry. Instead, his voice made him sound more... sad.

"...I've already done things that go against what I've been taught... And I'm already being remembered for stuff I never thought I would be. At this point, I don't even know if I can change that. You saw how those people acted around me... how they treated me. Even if I do this, even if I succeed... Can things really go back to the way they were for me? I'm... I'm just... not sure anymore... "

Nathaniel didn't know what to say, as he listened to the wolf's words. He could tell, from the sound of Ace's voice alone, he wasn't trying to make up some excuse.

He continued. "Kid, I know it might be hard for you to understand, but... I need this. I need this more, than you can imagine. That's why... that's why I can't give up... not now."

Ace paused, as if he didn't have the heart to speak any more words. He lowered the microphone in his hand, before leaning his head back to stare up at the sky. Nathaniel, on the other hand, looked over at the wolf's plane, and felt sympathy for him and his predicament.

"Ace..."

Before the conversation could continue, they were interrupted by a loud and strange noise. As if from out of nowhere, a barrage of bullets flew past both their planes, nearly catching the two off-guard. Acting quickly, both Ace and Nathaniel swerved in opposite directions, as they tried their best to prevent the deadly objects from making contact. Looking at the source, they quickly beheld who their attackers were; Air pirates, and there were three of them, closing in fast.

Without wasting a moment, Ace contacted the cadet. The tone of his voice made him sound more annoyed than nervous.

"Kid, those are pirates! You know what to do, right!"

Nathaniel hesitated to answer. This lead Ace to let out a groan, once he theorized exactly why the cadet went silent.

"You've got to be kidding... Let me guess, first encounter with Air Pirates, right? Great... the one pilot in the sky that's never went against pirates, and Patton sticks him with me!"

Before he could continue, two of the three pirates began to trail Ace's plane. Using some skillful maneuvers, he dodged the next stream of bullets, then attempted to get behind them. Nathaniel wasn't as graceful, as a few bullets managed to hit the haul of his plane. Luckily for him, it didn't do any serious damage to him, the engine, or the wings.

"Listen, kid! Just try and stay calm, alright! Now, you've got a gun on your plane, right?" said Ace, as he tried to focus on taking to the cadet while avoiding enemy fire.

"Y-yes... Yes, I do." said Nathaniel, finally answered back.

"Good! I'll handle these two, and you go after the other! If you get a chance, shoot! Trust me, you'll be doing the world a favor."

"I understand."

With that, Ace put down the microphone to focus completely on the two pirates that were following him. At first, he had a rough time shaking his attackers off, though he believed it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. After all, he had clashed wings with the pirate leader himself in the past and managed to hold his own, so surely these two wouldn't be that much of a hassle. Unfortunately, the lack of light and limited visibility worked against all five pilots, so hitting a target was easier said then done.

Ace tried to put some distance from his two attackers, while at the same time keeping away from Nathaniel. Staying close to the ocean, he continued to swerve left and right, dodging the bullets that were shot at him. As the battle continued on, he took note of the two pirate's pattern; one seemed to be trigger-happy and crazy, while the other was a bit more smart with the amount of ammo he used. Ace decided that the trigger-happy pirate would be the one he'd go after first, just to get him out of the way before going after the more skillful pirate. As he tried to come up with a plan, he looked over to see how Nathaniel was handling his troubles. Much to Ace's surprise, Nathaniel was just flying around, doing absolutely nothing to help stop the pirate menace.

"Kid, what are you doing!" said Ace, yelling the words out-loud.

Before he could think too much of it, more bullets came flying his way. Ace swiftly dodged the round of ammo yet again, though one managed to scratch the side on his plane.

"Hey! Now you're asking for it!"

Ace ascended into the sky, before reducing his speed. This caught the trigger-happy pirate off guard, as he tried to pull the same stunt, but failed. Instead, he zoomed the plane, which Ace was hoping would happen. The other pirate, on the other hand, swerved to the left, separating himself from his partner. Now behind the trigger-happy pirate, and after increasing his speed, Ace opened fire without holding back. Caught off-guard, the bullets struck the plane, tearing apart the right wing and striking the motor, killing it on contact. As the propeller came to a halt, the pirate lost altitude until he crashed into the ocean below. Ace looked back at the downed pirate's plane, happy that he was able to shoot it down.

"Alright, one down, two to go!"

The second pirate quickly regained his position back on Ace's tail. He didn't open fire as much, usually only do so when he thought he had a clear shot. Ace knew that the same stunt he pulled moments ago most-likely wouldn't work again, so he tried to think up something else. Again, he looked over at Nathaniel, and much like before, he was just flying around and avoiding his Air Pirate menace. Ace knew then that he'd most-likely have to dispatched the third pirate as well, believing that Nathaniel was too scared to fight back.

"Arhh... I guess I have to do everything around here."

As the fight ensued, Ace and his attacker came upon a lighthouse. Inside his living quarters at the bottom of the tower, the keeper, a somewhat elderly St. Bernard, was casually reading a book, occasionally looking out a large window for ships. Judging by the expression on his face, he found the night quite boring. He eventually put the book down, and stared out at the ocean the giant light shined upon.

"Mmhhph" moaned the keeper, sounding somewhat groggy. "Things have been so quiet as of late. What I wouldn't give for a little excitement around here..."

The keeper moved his arm to support his head, as if he were trying to prop it up to prevent himself from falling asleep. He quickly raised it back up though, once he saw what looked like two vague silhouettes in the distance.

"Huh? There shouldn't be any bugs out in the winter... Whoa! Hold on a sec...!"

Quickly, he opened a drawer on his desk and took out a pair of binoculars. Though things were still hard to see, he could finally make out just what those 'bugs' were.

"Hey, those are planes! I wonder what's going on... Wait, I think one's an Air Pirate!"

Putting the binoculars down, the keeper rushed over to his radio and flipped through the channels as fast as he could, hoping to reach one of the pilots.

"Dang-blast it all, can anyone hear me out there?" said the keeper, who became impatient when nobody responded back.

Surprised by the unfamiliar voice coming from the speaker on his dash, Ace quickly picked up the microphone to reply back.

"Hey, is this the operator of that lighthouse over there?"

"'Bout time I finally got a hold of someone! Who's this, anyway? For that matter, what's going on out there? I can barely see a thing!"

"The name's Ac-..." Ace paused, hesitant to say his name, taking into considering what usually happens when he does. "L-look, forget my name! Listen, I'm being attacked by an Air Pirate, and I can't shake him off my tail. Think you can help me out!"

"What? By-golly, it IS an Air Pirate after all! I guess my old eye's didn't fail me after- O-oh, yeah, sorry, of course I'll help! Bring him closer to the lighthouse! I'll blind him, and you shoot that dastardly devil out of the sky!"

"Thanks, I owe you one! Oh wait, just so you know, I'm the one in the red and yellow plane, so don't shine the light on me!"

"Oh, gotcha, pal!"

Ace placed the microphone down and grinned, believing his overlong conflict with his attacker was about to come to an end. Flying towards the lighthouse, he hoped that the pirate wouldn't suspect their plan, while also hoping he didn't overhear their conversation either. Confident that everything would play out just right, the keeper climbed the tower's stairs and rushed over to the manual controls for the spotlight, waiting patiently for the right moment.

As the two drew closer and closer, Ace swerved as much as he could, knowing his attacker wouldn't open fire without a clear shot. Finally, believing the moment was right, the keeper moved the spotlight ever-so-slowly towards the pirate, all the while making sure not to shine it on the red and yellow plane. As Ace noticed the light drawing closer to his position, he swerved out of the way at the last second to avoid it. Before the pirate could do the same, the beam blinded him, forcing him to fly in the opposite direction to get away from it. Unfortunately for him, the damage to his eyes had already been done, and he lost visibility temporarily. Though it didn't last long, it still gave Ace ample time to loop back and charge directly at his attacker. With the best opportunity he was ever going to get in his hands, he opened fire on the pirate, giving him all his plane could muster.

Many of Ace's bullets zoomed past the pirates plane, though none of them made contact. Unfortunately, what happened next made his heart sink. While continuing his assault, he ran out of ammunition.

"Aww, no, no, no no NO, NOT NOW!" said Ace, with a terrified look.

Ace hadn't used his plane's guns since his incident, eight long months ago. He never had any use for them, plus his lack of funds prevented him from replenishing his stock anyway.

As Ace panicked, the pirate took this as the perfect opportunity to open fire back at his target. Once he thought to look back up, Ace noticed his attacker, and how he now had a near-perfect alignment with his plane. Without hesitation, the pirate opened fire, and Ace did whatever he could in order to avoid getting killed. A couple of bullets tore through his right wing, while two more pierced the body of the plane, barely missing his legs by an inch or less. Unfortunately, one bullet made it's mark on Ace, as it went straight through the windshield, cracking it, while also making contact with the top of his left shoulder.

"AAAAAAAHHH!"

Slamming back into his seat and rapidly breathing through his gritted teeth, Ace quickly put his right hand over the wound on his shoulder, as his left arm limped to his side. Because he let go of the control stick, his plane began to slowly descend for the ocean.

"Hey pal, are you alright! It looks like you got shot! What happened!" said the keeper of the lighthouse, who witnessed Ace's plane losing altitude.

While still dealing with his own problem, Nathaniel overheard the lighthouse keeper on his radio. His mouth dropped in shock, once he heard the frightful news.

"What! Ace, hang on, man!"

Ignoring the pirate who was still on his tail, Nathaniel decided to head for Ace's current position. Before he arrived, Ace was still grasping his left shoulder, as he finally realized his current predicament. Trying his best to ignore the pain, he put both hands back on the control stick and pulled up quickly, before letting his plane slam into the ocean below with barely a second to spare. The pirate who shot at him knew he wounded him in some way, and tried to go in for the kill yet again.

Before he could get an accurate shot, Nathaniel rushed onto the scene and opened fire on Ace's attacker. Fortunately, he had forgotten all about their other prey, giving the cadet the perfect opportunity to take him down. Though most of his shots missed, one bullet made its mark, damaging the pirate's motor on contact. Despite not being enough to take the enemy craft down, it did manage to make his plane smolder, forcing him to reduce speed. Knowing that he had become a sitting duck at this point, and because one of his pirate comrade's had already been downed, he ordered a hasty retreat. It didn't take them long to vanish into the night sky.

Once the two knew they were safe, Ace and Nathaniel landed their planes on the water, and docked at a beach near the lighthouse. Without wasting time, the keeper quickly dug out his first-aid kit, knowing that the man in the red plane would undoubtedly need it. Though it took him a minute, he climbed down the long flight of stairs, and exited out of the tower. As he approached the planes, he witnessed an unfamiliar Thembrian, to him anyway, carefully helping the wounded wolf out of his plane.

"Oh boy... You don't know how glad I am to see you're alright, pal! Here, I brought a first-aid kit with me. We need to-"

Before he could finish, the keeper was interrupted by Ace's next action. Out of anger, he grabbed Nathaniel by the coat and slammed him against his plane, pinning him to the side. Though he didn't understand the situation,The keeper decided to stay out of their way, as he silently listened and watched.

"KID! You've got some explaining to do!" said Ace, after letting out a small growl.

Nathaniel, frightened by the wolf's scowling expression and tone, put his hands on Ace's arms, as if he were trying to get him to let go.

"Ace... P-please... I-"

"Don't treat me like I'm just some dumb wolf! Maybe you didn't realize it, but I was watching you out there! You weren't doing a thing to help! Then, all of a sudden, you shoot down that pirate with ease! People like you don't go from being scared to skilled from out of nowhere!"

"I...I-I... uhh-"

"ANSWER ME! What were you doing! What were you THINKING!"

Ace's anger and frustration continued to grow, the more and more Nathaniel muttered and avoided the question. From his expression alone, it was obvious his patience was wearing thin.

"I have the chance to get my job back, a chance to NOT sell my house and plane, and I'm gonna lose it, because SOME KID TREATS THIS WHOLE THING LIKE A GAME! IF YOU HONESTLY THINK THIS IS JUST ONE BIG JOKE, I SWEAR... I SWEAR, I'M GONNA-"

Before he could finish, Ace stopped himself, as he let go of the cadet and backed away a few feet. Breathing heavy and gritting his teeth, he tried to calm himself down, knowing that it was this exact anger that got him into so much trouble in the past. Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, he put his right hand back on his shoulder wound. While he did this, Nathaniel looked at Ace in utter shock and surprise, once he heard him talk about losing both his house and plane. Judging by his expression, it seemed he didn't know those particular details.

"...Alright... Lets talk about this calmly. Now, I'm asking nicely, kid... Just... Just exactly why... Why did you hold back out there?"

"I... I was just..." said Nathaniel, who could do little more than stutter his answer. "I'm... I'm sorry, Ace..."

"Sorry? Sorry for what? For leaving me hanging out there? For holding back the entire time? What!"

"I... I just... Ace, I..."

Ace turned around and walked a few more feet away from the cadet, before rubbing his face with his hand in frustration. A few seconds after that, Nathaniel slid down the side of the plane, before stumbling down and taking a seat on the sand below him. From the look on his face, it was obvious that even he was disappointed in himself.

While the two remained where they were, not saying a word or even looking at each other, the keeper tried to get Ace's attention once again.

"Uhh... S-sir? I don't know what any of this is all about, but I should really take a look at that wound. It probably needs bandaged."

"Like you'd want to help me." said Ace, as he glared at the keeper. "One mention of my name, and you'll be done with me too. Ever heard of 'Ace London, failure extraordinaire'? Well guess what... you're looking at him..."

The keeper nodded his head. "Yeah, I've heard of you... and now that I think about it, I do recall seeing your mug in the paper once or twice. You've done quite a few things wrong in life, huh? But you know what? None of that makes any difference to me. You're wounded, you need help, and I've got the first-aid kit. So, how 'bout it?"

Surprised by the keeper's words, Ace's glare quickly disappeared as he turned his head to look away. He never expected to run into someone who not only recognized him, but didn't shun him after the mere mention of his name. Though he wanted to thank the keeper, the wolf remained quiet, too stunned to even say a word.

"Well..." said the keeper, shrugging his shoulders. "If that's what you want... but here, at least take the kit with you. I can always get another, and I've never had a need for it until now."

The keeper took a couple of steps forward, before handing over the first-aid kit. Turning his head back in his direction, Ace accepted the generous offer, as he whispered his gratitude.

"T... thanks..."

"No problem, pal. Have a safe flight, and good luck out there... to you and your 'friend' over there."

The keeper waved goodbye to the wolf, before heading back to the lighthouse. Once he was gone, Ace gripped the first-aid kit in his hand, then walked back over to his plane.

As he approached his aircraft, Nathaniel remained seated on the sand next to it, completely immobile and silent, as if he were lost in thought. Ignoring the cadet, Ace placed the first-aid kit into the cockpit, then looked over at the damage the pirates caused to his plane. His expression quickly changed to sorrow, once he realized just how much harm his baby took during the battle. Sadly, he knew there was nothing he could do about it though, as his lack of money prevented him from getting her fixed, much like he used to do. Back in the day, he took his plane to get fixed all the time, even if there was a hint of damage anywhere. Seeing her like this nearly broke his heart.

As he climbed into his damaged aircraft, he took a quick glance at Nathaniel, before turning away and focusing on the dashboard. Instead of ignoring him any further, he decided to speak with him one last time.

"Look... I'm heading home. If you want help me tomorrow, meet me back at my house. I'm sure you know where it's at..."

"...Yes, I do..."

Deciding to get out of the way, Nathaniel stood up and backed away a yard or two, while keeping his eye on Ace. Within moments, the plane started up, and he took off without looking back once. Nathaniel, on the other hand, remained where he stood, as he watched Ace disappear into the distance. Again, he looked down with a guilty expression, before letting out something that was on his mind.

"Ace... I'm sorry... I really am. But I can't answer your question... Not yet, anyway. Just give him some more time... Give me some more time, okay? We'll get there, I promise..."

After a long flight, which lasted roughly two hour or more, Ace finally arrived back at his house. It was late, and all he wanted to do was curl up and go to bed. After entering his house, he turned on the lights and carried the first-aid kit over to his kitchen counter. He carefully, but painfully, removed his coat off his body, then tried to take off his shirt. Unfortunately, the swelling in his shoulder caused him too much pain when he lifted his arm, so he ended up having to remove the article of clothing with scissors instead. He didn't mind, since the combination of blood and bullet hole ruined it anyway.

Carefully, he applied medicine to the wound, before wrapping it in bandages soon after. It was painful, though after a few moments, his shoulder began to feel better. Unfortunately, as he finished up, Ace discovered he had another problem... one that came out of him, whether he wanted it to or not.

"Ah...Ahh... Ahh-CHOO! Oh... Great, that's just what I need..."

Ace searched through the first-aid kit for any cold relief medicine, but sadly found none. Without any in his house either, he knew that it was something he had to live with, for the time being anyway. He just hoped it wouldn't keep him up all night, though he already had plenty of things that did just that already.

Ignoring the cold as best as he could, he picked up the bits of his shirt on the floor and threw them away in a nearby waste bin. As he did this, he looked inside and noticed the For Sale sign he tossed out a couple days ago, and pulled it out. Originally meant for his plane, he assured himself that he would never have to go that far, even if times became desperate. As he gently placed the sign on the counter, he began to wonder if he'd be able to keep his promise to himself after all.

After sneezing for a second time, he slowly walked to his bedroom, hoping he could just sleep his troubles away. Without changing into something more comfortable or even removing his boots, he sat down gently onto is bed, and laid back into his pillow. Staring up at the ceiling with a miserable look on his face, all he could think about was his wish for one little break... something he hoped would finally find him, perhaps tomorrow.


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter 3

"_To Forgive and Regret_"

It's now roughly eight o'clock in the morning. Outside, the sky is clear of fog and snow, though the the sun remained blocked by clouds and temperatures are still low. Much like yesterday, it's quiet outside, with only the ocean waves making any noise.

Inside his house, Ace awoke and slowly made his way to the couch in his living room. Sitting down, he relaxed back, before letting out a small moan. He closed his eyes, still tired from a restless night of tossing and turning. Unfortunately for him, whether it had been the pain in his shoulder, his recently-obtained cold, or more frightful thoughts of his uncertain future, he didn't get much sleep, and it showed.

Eventually, he leaned forward, rubbing his eyes with his right hand. With a groggy look on his face, he glanced around his living room. He observed how little had kept up his house, what with practically everything covered in dust, including his numerous trophies he kept on a shelf. Ace stared at his awards for a moment or two, remembering back when he first won them. Many he had earned over a decade ago, while some were from recent years. None were recent though, as that became yet another thing he lost, eight months ago.

"What happened to you, Ace?" he said out loud to himself. "It's hard to believe now... I actually won those..."

At that point, his stomach began to moan. Ace forgot that he never ate anything for dinner last night, but he was too tired to move or do anything about it. He laid back in his couch once again and closed his eyes, telling himself he'd "make something to eat in a minute". Unfortunately for him, his tired body and mind didn't have the energy to stay up any longer, as he quickly fell back to sleep.

Eventually, Ace woke back up. He leaned forward, stretching his arms out while yawning, before looking at the clock to see the time. It was now around nine-thirty in the AM.

"Nine o'clock, really? Geez, can't believe I fell back to sleep for so long..."

Before standing up, Ace moved his left arm in a clockwise motion, trying to see just how much he could move it. Despite grunting in pain slightly, his left arm movement wasn't restricted that much at all. He finally stood up, struggling a bit at first, before walking over to his window to open the curtains. As he slid them to the side, a bit of dust fell off them, indicating that he apparently hadn't opened them for a long time. As he looked out, he took a glance at the ocean view his house had. Ace remembered how lucky he was to get this oceanside house, though it was all because of his status and rank in the Air Force, as well as his income from also being one of their Test Pilots. It even had a dock for boats, though he mainly only used it for his plane.

As he looked towards his aircraft, he saw something he wasn't expecting; another plane was docked next to his, though it didn't take him long to recognize it as the cadet's plane. Sitting next to it, Nathaniel sat quietly, doing nothing more than enjoying the ocean view.

"What the? He's early..."

Ace tapped on the glass of the window, trying to get the kid's attention. At first, he didn't hear him, most-likely because the sound of the waves drowned him out. Ace rolled his eyes, before tapping harder on the glass. This time, it caught his attention, and Nathaniel turned to look behind him. He saw Ace standing on the other side of the window, as he signaled for him to come in. Nathaniel understood what he was attempting to convey, and began walking over to the house's back door. Ace did the same as well, then unlocked and opened it as Nathaniel drew closer.

"Kid, what were you doing out there? Trying to catch pneumonia on purpose?"

Nathaniel put on a small smile, while letting out a small laugh. He walked inside, and Ace quickly shut the door behind him, so what little heat that remained in the house wouldn't escape.

"Nahh, the cold doesn't really bother me. I was just... waiting, that's all."

"You could've knocked, you know."

"I did, but nobody answered. I figured you were still asleep, and I didn't want to bother you, since I know I came a little early..."

"Oh... Sorry about that. I slept in a bit later than I thought I would."

"It's no big deal... Oh, by the way, h-how's the arm?"

Ace looked over at his left shoulder. He wasn't wearing a shirt, so his bandages, with a few spots of blood on top, were as plain as day. He rubbed his wound a little, before answering back.

"It's fine. Just a little swelling, that's all..."

"Are you sure? You look a little pale..."

"It's not because of that. I caught a cold last night, from being out for so long."

"Oh... S-sorry to hear that..."

"It's... no big deal. I'll be fine."

Ace turned around to enter his front room, and Nathaniel followed a few feet behind him.

"You can wait here, if you want. I have to get ready. It... it shouldn't take me too long."

Nathaniel could detect the sorrow and disappointment in Ace's voice, as he started to walk towards the hallway that led to his bedroom. Before he walked away, Nathaniel stopped him.

"Ace, wait..." Nathaniel said, with his head bent down. The sound of his voice made him out to be a little sad. "I... I need to talk to you... There's something I have to say."

Ace stopped in his tracks, though he didn't turn around to look at the cadet. Despite not saying a word, Nathaniel could tell that he was listening.

"...I know... I know that I said it a couple times last night, but I think... I still owe you an apology... in more ways than one."

"...Yeah...?"

"Look... I want you to know, I'm not really how you think I am. Last night, when you and I first met, I know that I was pretty rude and cynical towards you. I was only like that because I wanted you to take me seriously."

"Oh, yeah?" said Ace, turning his head a little towards Nathaniel.

"I know it sounds silly, but that's how I've learned to act around other pilots. Most of them, especially the guys on the base, see me as too young to be taken seriously, so I admit that I've developed an attitude to try and change that. Ace, you didn't deserve what I said about you or your plane... Especially after what you told me last night, when you pinned to the plane. To tell you the truth, I think your plane is probably one of the finest I've seen... She's a real treasure of the sky, you know... I don't know why I said what I did."

"...Thanks." said Ace, without changing his expression.

Nathaniel paused only for a moment, before raising his head and continuing.

"I also want to apologize for what happened last night, too. I know that I really failed you out there, and-"

"No, you didn't... You saved me out there, kid, and I returned the gratitude by almost hurting you."

"D-don't worry about that, Ace. I still could've done more to help... I admit, that was the first time I went up against Air Pirates, and I was a little scared. When I heard you were shot though, that's when I knew I had to get over my fears... I just wish I had done it sooner."

Ace didn't react much to the cadet's words, as he remained standing in the same spot.

"I know your opinion of me must be pretty low, and I don't blame you if it is. I guess... all I'm asking... Can you give me another chance? I promise... no more snide remarks, and no more disrespect... I really want to prove to you that it wasn't a mistake that the Air Force recruited me, and that I can be relied on... That you can rely on me."

Ace thought about everything the cadet said. Finally, he turned around to face Nathaniel.

"No, kid, I think I owe you the apology."

Nathaniel looked puzzled. "What do you mean? I don't understand."

"Well... When everything started to go wrong last night, my old tendencies started to come out, and I took out my frustrations on you. It wasn't right for me to drag you out there for so long, simply because I was too stubborn to know when to stop. Besides, it's not like you were the only one throwing insults at the other... I'm just as guilty. It's not how I wanted the higher-ups to treat me when I was a cadet, and I shouldn't have said those things to you either."

"I... I guess we both have a little to learn about respecting our fellow pilots, huh?"

"I suppose so."

Nathaniel put on a smile, while extending his arm out in an attempt to shake Ace's hand.

"What do you say, Ace? Can we start over? Please?"

Ace stared at Nathaniel's hand for a second or two, before saying the next thing on his mind.

"You know... I can't expect others to forgive me for what I've done, unless I forgive others too. It's a one-way street." said Ace, as he shook the cadet's hand with a grin on his face. "Alright, we'll start over."

"Yes, thank you, Ace! You won't regret it, I swear!" said Nathaniel, with a big smile on his face, as he shook Ace's hand faster and faster.

"H-hey, calm down! Don't get too excited! I just woke up, remember!"

In reality, Ace didn't mind, as he said that with a smile on his face too. Nathaniel could tell he was joking, but let go of his hand anyway.

"Oh, sorry about that! I got a little over-excited there, I suppose."

Ace laughed. "Don't worry about it, kid. Now, I've got to get ready, so wait in the living room for me, alright? It shouldn't take me too long."

"Oh no, that's fine. Take your time."

Ace resumed his walk back to his bedroom, as Nathaniel sat down on one of the chairs in the living room. As he closed the door of his bedroom, Nathaniel quickly got back up, and started exploring around his house.

About a half hour later, after showering, re-bandaging his left shoulder, getting dressed, sneezing a few more times, and just relaxing a bit, Ace exited his bedroom door, all ready to go. As he came out, he noticed Nathaniel holding one of his older trophies. Though Ace treasured them, he didn't mind, as he always proudly showed them off in the past. Unfortunately, before he could get a word out to speak, another sneeze overtook him.

"Ah-AhCHOO!"

Not paying attention, Nathaniel nearly dropped the trophy when the loud noise startled him. Seeing this, Ace panicked slightly, as he extended his arms outward as-if to catch it, despite his distance.

"H-hey! Be careful with that!"

"Oh! S-sorry..." said Nathaniel, with a little hint of nervousness in his voice. "You kinda scared me there... Guess I was lost in thought or something. Anyway, I hope you don't mind me looking at these... They're really impressive, you know."

Ace walked towards the cadet, thanking him as he drew closer. Once Nathaniel handed over the trophy, the wolf blew off the dust and shined it with his sleeve, before holding it up to look at it himself.

"Not to boast or anything, but I'm quite proud of them."

"I wouldn't doubt it. I have to say, I'm a little envious... I'd love to win one of these, though I can't really see that happening."

"Why not?" said Ace, with a generally curious look on his face.

Nathaniel shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know... I can't see myself becoming as good as... Well, someone like you."

"Nahh." said Ace, smiling. "If you can understand the basics, then anyone can become a good pilot. You just have to develop some skills on your own. Not to sound rude, kid, but you've probably learned a lot of maneuvers and rules from textbooks, right?"

"Well... yeah. When I first joined, a textbook was one of the first things they gave me. They said I had to study and memorize it, in order to even have a chance against something like an Air Pirate attack."

As Nathaniel finished his sentence, Ace placed the trophy carefully back on the shelf, straightening it just right, so the plaque with his name on it was facing directly forward. Though he didn't mean to appear insulting to the cadet, he shook his head in disappointment.

"That's your problem, kid. Those books will only get you so far. You gotta understand, most of those books were written a long time ago."

"I think I get what you're trying to say. The info is out-dated... at least, in terms of modern-day Air Pirates, who've undoubtedly learned new tricks themselves, right?"

"Exactly. Trust me, I was pretty green when I first started out too. After some pals of mine taught me to go off the books, I became what you see today... skill-wise, that is."

"Makes sense, but I don't really know anyone like that. Growing up, I was really the only one on my block that really took an interest in airplanes. My folks had to drive me miles, just to reach the closest air show."

"Yeah... Well, how about this? If things go well and I'm allowed back into the Air Force, I'll teach you a thing or two. How's that?"

Nathaniel looked ecstatic. "Wait, really! That'd be like a dr-t-that'd be fantastic! How would I ever repay such a favor, though?"

"Ehh, I wouldn't charge you or anything. Just help me with this mission, and I'll consider that my way of repaying you. Speaking of which, we should be leaving soon, so-"

Before he could finish, his stomach let out another loud moan. Ace leaned forward a little, putting his right hand on his chest.

"Geez... I forgot, I haven't eaten anything."

"Really? Me neither, now that I think about it. Hey, why don't we go get some breakfast? It'll be my treat; another way for me to apologize to you for what happened last night."

Ace thought about the cadet's request for a second. He didn't like the idea of wasting any more time, though he knew he couldn't go the whole day without eating.

"I don't know... Like you said last night, the longer we wait, the farther Max slips out of our hands. I don't know what kind of time we've got left, kid."

"That's true... but you can't go the whole day without food in your belly. Besides, there are others looking for the plane, and they haven't caught him either. I think we'll be fine... So, what do you say?"  
As Ace thought about it, he grabbed the coat he threw on the floor last night, and proceeded to put it on. Though he flinched from a slight pain, he had little trouble inserting his wounded arm through the left sleeve. After zipping up, he turned his head and saw the hole the bullet made last night. Afraid that his exhaustion might lead him to make even more irrational decisions, he looked forward at the cadet and nodded his head, as he began to speak with a smile on his face.

"I guess it couldn't hurt. Besides, I'm really hungry, and I know of a fine place around here that serves a great breakfast. It's not walking distance, so we'll have to take the planes. We probably need to fuel them up anyway, so that'll give us a chance after we eat."

"Great, sounds like a plan!"

Nathaniel walked towards the house's back door, with Ace following close behind him. Before he opened it though, he turned around and faced the wolf.

"Ace... again, thanks."

"It's alright, kid. Like I said, you weren't the only one who needed to apologize. Now, I don't mean to sound rude, but let's go! I'm starving over here!"

"Heh... Alright."

Once the two exited the the house, they climbed down a small flight of stairs to reach the dock. As Nathaniel entered his plane to make preparations, Ace once again looked over the damage on his. Though he was still disappointed that she took so much damage, he didn't stay distracted by it for too long. Quickly jumping in, he activated the motor and took off without much hesitation. While in the air, Ace took his usual spot in front, while Nathaniel followed a close distance behind him.

After a short flight, the two reached the restaurant. Much like Evelyn's "Fly-In Cafe", it was also single-owned, with a fuel station combo just the same. Still, it was much larger, better-looking, and sported more employee's. It had a look similar to one of those fancy, corporation-owned restaurants, though anyone could, and usually would, admit that the food was much better. Outside, there were a handful of vehicles, and a couple of planes parked nearby as well. It was a well-known hang-out for pilots, garnering more business in a day than what Evelyn received in a week.

After landing their planes and going inside, the two found a nice booth table close to the back of the restaurant. It was a decent spot, for something that was close to the kitchen doors. A little noisy, but the aroma from the freshly-cooked food was quite pleasant, despite making them all the more hungry. Not long after taking their seat, a waitress approached their table and handed them each a menu, before saying that she'd get right back to them.

Nathaniel, new to the place, picked up the menu and began reading it carefully, as if he were studying it.

"Don't worry about the price of what you order. It's all on me, and I've got plenty of money." said the cadet, who talked while reading the menu.

"Thanks, kid, I really appreciate it."

As Nathaniel continued looking over the menu, he became startled yet again, as Ace's cold struck again. He quickly turned his head to the right and sneezed onto the floor, before taking a napkin to wipe off his mouth and nose. Nathaniel lowered the menu and looked over at the sick wolf, noticing as well that he hadn't picked up the menu yet.

"Gesundheit."

"Thanks. I hope I can get rid of this cold soon. I hate feeling like this... makes me feel so drowsy..."

"No doubt, but I'm sure it'll drop soon. Besides, I doubt a cold could stop someone like you, right?"

"I hope you're right." said Ace, rubbing his nose.

"You'll be fine. By the way, how come you're not looking at your menu?"

"Hmm? Oh... Nahh, I don't need to. I already know what I'm getting."

"You do? Oh, that's right, I forgot! You've been here before."

"How about you? Decided on anything yet?"

"I think so."

After a few more minutes, their waitress returned and jotted down their orders on a small piece of paper. Ace requested the house special; medium-rare steak, eggs, and a side dish of fried potatoes and toasted bread. Nathaniel's idea of breakfast wasn't as grand, as he ordered the simple sausage, biscuits, and gravy. The waitress took the menu's from them, and informed them that their food would be ready shortly.

"Is that all you're getting?" asked Ace.

"Yeah. I'm not much of a big eater. Besides, whenever I go to a new restaurant, that's usually what I get. It's my favorite, so I let that decide whether or not a new restaurant wins me over."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. It's been a while since I've eaten here, so I went with what I usually get. If you're ever in the neighborhood again, you should try it."

"I might... but, to tell you the truth, I'm not much of a steak eater. Never have been, strangely."

As the two patiently waited for their meals, Nathaniel looked around at the restaurant interior. The whole place had a mahogany finish, complete with objects like replica artwork of famous scenery paintings, as well as fake potted tree's. Despite the artificiality, it was a nice-looking place, to say the least. While the cadet checked everything out from his chair, Ace kept his eyes on the table and items in front of him, trying not to notice the other people in the room. When he briefly looked up, he saw a few customers on the other side of the room, pointing and looking over his way. He knew exactly what they were saying, and he was sure it wasn't pleasant. Nathaniel soon noticed Ace's change in expression, and called him up on it.

"What's wrong?"

"It's... nothing. Don't worry about it."

Nathaniel, curious, turned around and looked over to see what the wolf appeared to be hiding from. Ne noticed a small group of people, who unsurprisingly turned their heads away once they saw the cadet looking at them.

"Friends of yours?" said Nathaniel, as he turned back around to face Ace.

"Nahh, it's nobody I know..."

For a second or two, Nathaniel didn't realize the problem. Finally, it came to him.

"Ahh, I get it now..."

Ace let out a sigh. "Yeah... I get that, no matter where I go now. But I guess I can't blame anyone but myself."

Nathaniel didn't say anything, since he knew his dilemma was something that wouldn't go away easily.

"I just try to ignore them as best as I can." continued Ace.

"Don't let it get you down, Ace. It'll change, one day... You've got me to help you, after all."

Ace looked at Nathaniel, raising one of his eyebrows.

"Okay, maybe that doesn't mean much, but still..."

Ace let out a small laugh, before smiling and replying back.

"I know what you mean. Thanks."

It took a good fifteen minutes, but their breakfast arrived at last, looking quite delicious as steam arose from both their plates. Ace didn't waste any time tearing into his meal, as he was more than ready to fill the empty space in his stomach. Nathaniel, on the other hand, dug into his meal slowly, trying to make it last longer. While they ate, Ace stopped for a moment to ask Nathaniel a question.

"Hey, kid... There's something that's been on my mind lately. Just exactly what is a Thembrian doing with the Usland Air Force, anyway? I mean, not that I don't think you belong, it's just something you don't see very much."

Nathaniel took a bite of his food, before shrugging his shoulders and answering back.

"I don't know... But I wouldn't think it'd be that surprising though. To be honest, I've never even been to Thembria. All I know about that place is that it's cold, covered in snow almost always, and... Well, that's about it. I was born in a place called Cape Suzette, before-"

"Heh..." laughed Ace.

"Huh? What?" inquired Nathaniel, confused as to why what he said was 'funny'.

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking... I swear, every pilot in the world, especially the good ones, must've been born there."

"Really? Were you born there, too?"

"Yep. Born and raised there with my folks. After heading out on my own, I lived there for quite some time, until I eventually relocated to join the Usland Air Force."

"What made you do that? Did Khan not allow you to join his fleet?"

"Even as big as my ego was, I knew better than to join his 'air force'."

"Huh? What's so bad about Khan?"

"I'd tell you, but I'm sure you'll find out for yourself. But besides that, I had another reason. Despite being somewhat green in my younger days, someone saw what I was capable of and offered me a chance to join this Air Force. I took the chance, never once regretting my decision."

"Who found you? Anyone I know?"

"Ehh, I'll tell you, one of these days. We'll see how he feels about me after the mission, before I go telling everyone that story."

Nathaniel nodded his head. "I understand. I'll look forward to when you decide to tell me. Now, getting back to what I was saying earlier-"

"Oh, shoot! Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you're story." said Ace, with a look of guilt on his face while smiling.

Nathaniel laughed. "It's no big deal, don't worry about it. Anyway, like I said before, I was born in Cape Suzette, but my folks and I moved away to live somewhere else when I was seven-years old. Both my mother and father met in Thembria, so I'm actually kinda curious to go there one day, just to see the place they once called 'Home'... and maybe even learn a little bit about the people and their ways"

"That's understandable... But still, I'd be careful if I were you."

"I know... I've heard many rumors about the place."

"Well, believe them. From what I've heard, they used to be a dignified and proud nation... Who knows why that changed, but it did. If you do decide to go there, you should talk to Patton to get some information first. Thembria and Usland used to have many ties to each other, before they broke apart, somehow."

"I'll keep that in mind. Speaking of which, have you ever been there yourself?"

"I usually try to avoid that place... You wouldn't believe their ridiculous rules. Still, I have been there once, and only once."

"Really? What's it like?"

"Pretty much like you said; Cold and covered in snow."

Nathaniel let out a small laugh, as Ace took another bite of his steak. After making one more statement about the country, he asked the cadet another question on his mind.

"Really, I didn't get to see much of Thembria, so I don't know too much about it. Hey, while we're on the subject... Have you heard of Spigot?"

"Colonel 'Perhaps you've heard of me' Ivanrod Spigot? Who hasn't... I've never met him in-person, though I have seen pictures of him in the newspaper."

"What do you make of the guy?"  
"To tell you the truth, I don't have much of an opinion of him. I've heard others talk about the guy, and from what I can gather... the guy's a real screw-ball."

Ace let out a short laugh. "Yeah, I figured as much."

"How about you? Have you ever met him?"

"Yes, actually, when I went to Thembria for the first and currently only time. I was with Patton and a few other officers. He only gave the General his full attention, so I didn't have the 'pleasure' of chatting with him."

"Yeah? What did you think of him?"

"He's a screw-ball and a half."

Nathaniel laughed. "That bad, huh!"

It didn't take them long to finish their breakfast. Soon after, their waitress came over and took their plates, before disappearing into the kitchen. Ace relaxed back in his seat, stretching his arms out as far as he could, or at least as much as his swollen left shoulder would allow him to, and let out a big yawn.

"Ahh... That hit the spot. Thanks, kid!"

"You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it."

After a moment or two, the waitress came back. This time, she had a small piece of paper in her hand.

"Hope you two enjoyed the meal! So, who gets the bill?"

"It's all on me." said Nathaniel, raising his hand slightly. "Mind if I pay for it right now?"

"That'd be just fine."

As Nathaniel stood up from his seat, the waitress handed him the bill. After examining it to see how much he owed, he reached into his pocket and took out his wallet. Opening it, he pulled out a few dollar bills, then handed them to the lady. Unbeknownst to him, a strange piece of paper fell out as he did this, and it landed on the table close to Ace. Though he noticed it, he refrained from picking it up.

"I know that's not the exact amount, but go ahead and keep the rest as a tip."

"Thanks, hon, I appreciate it! You two have a great day!" said the waitress, who quickly left to serve her other customers.

"No problem! You know... This place is pretty nice. I think I will come back to this place one day and try some of the other choices on the menu."

As Nathaniel sat back down, Ace pointed to the piece of paper.

"Hey, that fell out of your wallet."

"What did?" said Nathaniel, confused.

He looked down at the table, and saw what Ace was referring to. Recognizing it, he quickly picked it back up, and placed it back into his wallet. As he did this, he looked a little shaken up, like he didn't want anyone to see what was on it.

"Oh, s-shoot, how'd that fall out! Thanks for telling me. I definitely don't want to lose that."

"What's on it?"

"Oh... this thing? It's just an excerpt from an old newspaper. It's... Well, perhaps when you tell me you're story, I'll tell you what's on this."

"Oh... Alright..." said Ace, a bit disappointed that Nathaniel wouldn't give him a straight answer.

"Fair's fair, right? If it makes you feel any better though, I will say one thing about it; It's something I keep with me at all times, because the date and event has a lot of meaning to me."

"Is that so...?"

"Yep... So, what next?" said Nathaniel, after placing his wallet back into his pocket.

"We should probably head out of here soon..." said Ace, before letting out another yawn. "...Though now that my belly's full, I just want to go back to sleep."

"Why don't you take a little nap? I mean, you do look really exhausted."

"Trust me, I am... but I don't think we should spend any more time here. We need to get started, you know... it'll probably take all day just to find this guy, so we'll need all the hours we can get."

"I know, I know... and after last night, I know how much this means to you. With that said, Ace, you can't go out there like this. No disrespect intended, but if you go out there exhausted and half-asleep-"

"I know what you're going to say... and... you're... you're right." said Ace, nodding his head slowly. "I'll go ahead and take a small nap... but make sure you wake me in an hour! I don't want to sleep any later than that!"

"Not a problem. Besides, that gives me some time to take care of some stuff."

"Huh? Like what?"

"What? Oh, you know... perhaps I can ask some people around town, contact my fellow pilots at the air force... anything that might give us a clue as to where to start first... instead of just 'north'."

"I don't think you'll find too many people around here who'll be able to help."

"Can't hurt, right?"

"I suppose not."

With that, Ace stretched out his arms yet again, while letting out one more yawn. Already, his eyes began to feel heavy, as if the notion to go to sleep was inescapable to him now. Crossing his arms, he placed them flat on the table, then proceeded to lay his head in-between them.

"Remember... give me an hour... and no... no more... than... thnnn...ahn... annn hhhrrr"

The more he spoke, the more his words became indistinguishable. Within less than a minute, he was out like a bulb. Watching Ace, Nathaniel was surprised to see just how fast he fell asleep. He couldn't help but feel bad for the guy, who almost tried to ignore his own exhaustion and sickness, just to do a satisfactory job on his mission.

Slowly, the cadet moved to get up from the table, making sure not to budge it or do anything to wake the sleeping wolf. Before taking off, he walked over to the other side and the room and stopped the waitress that served them earlier, and asked her a question.

"Hey... my friend there is sleeping. You guys don't mind, do you?"

"Not at all, hon. It's actually quite common for pilots to take a quick nap after they eat, though we have to boot them out if we run out of tables for new customers. Store policy and all."

"That'll be fine. I don't think we'll be here for that long. Just... please make sure nobody bothers him, okay? He... well..."

"He's that Ace London guy, right? I heard about some of the things he's done, and I can't say I approve of him or his actions... But this is a high-end business we're running here, and we don't tolerate customers bullying other customers. I'll keep him safe, so don't you worry."

"Thanks, I appreciate it... he does too, I'm sure."

As she walked away, Nathaniel turned to face Ace one last time. Standing there for a second, he watched over him, before whispering what was on his mind.

"Rest easy, Ace... I'll be back before you know it."

Elsewhere in the world, quite some miles away from Ace and Nathaniel's location, a certain rogue pilot continued his search. For almost two days now, Max had been trying to locate Karnage and his Air Pirates, but to no avail. Through his own back luck, as well as the disagreeable snowy weather, they were nowhere to be found, as if they had disappeared without a trace. Frustrated, the coyote picked up a map and looked over it frantically, before wadding it up and tossing it to his side.

"Where could they be! This doesn't make any sense! You have to be out here somewhere! Come on, guys..."

Max sat back in the pilot's seat, tilting his head backwards as he placed both his hands over his eyes. The thought of his mission turning out like this was hard for him to accept, and for a moment, his expression made it look like he could break out in tears. Soon, he removed his hands off his face, and hunched forward in the chair. Oddly, his expression changed once again, this time to a look of mild frustration.

"You need this... I need this... So please, stop hiding from me..."

As the minutes went by, Max blankly stared out the front windshield of the cargo plane. He couldn't help but wonder if all his efforts had been for naught. No doubt that by now, the General had sent out his best pilots to hunt and track him down, and he had no idea how much time he had left. If they found him before he could complete his mission, he'd be thrown in jail, and they'd obviously take back the engine. If that happened, the pirates demise, which the radio host predicted, would surely come true after all.

As he sat there, looking lifeless as usual, he soon spotted a small plane in the distance. This immediately caught his attention.

"Wait... could it possibly be...?"

Max changed his direction and flew towards the small plane. It wasn't moving very fast, and on occasion, small amounts of black smoke came out of the engine, as if it had been damaged recently. Though he didn't know what to think of it, the coyote decided to approach the aircraft anyway, unwilling to take a chance at this point. Before he could get too close though, his flight path was interrupted by a barrage of bullets. Fortunately for him, none of them made their mark, though considering how big his cargo plane was, he realized they were nothing more than warning shots. Looking to his left through the window, Max witnessed a second aircraft closing in on him fast, with another to his right. Despite being fired upon, Max's expression changed to joy, as he recognized the pilot inside the plane. Sure enough, it was none other than Don Karnage himself.

"YOU THERE! You in the plane! THIS is Don Karnage! Hand over all your cargo!" said the angry pirate, who radio's the man inside the cargo plane.

Max, with his hands shaking from an odd excitement, picked up the microphone radio and replied back.

"Yes, of course! I'm more than happy to oblige your request!"

Karnage laughed, before his expression quickly changed to confusion.

"Wait, whaaa...? You're not going to fight back at Karnage? Well... I have to say... that went easier than I thought."

Without hesitation, another pirate, known by his nickname as "Maddog", questioned his boss, before he could make any more decisions.

"Boss, what if it's a trap?"

Karnage sat in his frightful plane, contemplating whether or not if he agreed with Maddog or not. Considering his own bad luck lately, he couldn't afford to lose any more Air Pirates, let alone make any more repairs to their planes. Before he could decide, Max called out to him.

"Please, Don... The whole reason I am out here, is because... Well... I have something that might interest you."

"What? What do you mean! Explain yourself!"

"Please, if I may, allow me to explain in-person. Keep your guard up if you must, but I promise you, I am alone, and I come in peace."

Again, Karnage took a moment to ponder the whole situation.

"I don't know... I don't like this. Something smells fishy..." he said out-loud, before replying back to the strange pilot. "Alright, fine! But this better be worth my time, or else I'll shoot you and that miserable plane of yours down, yes!"

"Fair enough."

Moments after their talk on the radio, Max landed on the snow-covered ground below and opened the cargo door. Not even a minute later, Karnage and the his two pirates did the same, though they made sure to keep their distance. As the three jumped out of their planes, the pirate leader quickly drew out his sword, expecting an ambush of some kind. With his hand over his eyes to block the current snow fall, he looked over at the cargo plane. Much to his surprise, he saw nothing else but the man he talked with on the radio, leading him to believe the strange pilot was telling the truth. Putting his sword back in its holder, he turned and faced his two pirates. Maddog, clothed in his usual outfit, was shivering from the cold, while the other pirate looked ashamed to be in the presence of leader. Strangely, Karnage didn't look bothered by the cold or snow at all.

"Maddog" said the leader, pointing in his direction as the cold breath left his mouth, "you follow me. As for you, you stay with the plane! Keep a sharp eye out for anything that might come our way! Do a good job, and I might forgive you for you're little mess-up last night, yes no?"

"Y-y-yes, sir, Karnage, sir! I won't fail you again, s-sir!"

"I should hope not! You may be one of my more-skilled pilots when it comes to the piloting of thee planes, but don't think for a moment that Karnage won't throw you in the BRIG!"

"Y-yes, s-sir!"

Turning away from the nervous pirate, Karnage walked towards the cargo plane, with Maddog following close behind him. Before they even made it half-way to their destination, they were soon greeted by Max, who forcefully took Karnage's right hand and shook it.

"It's such a pleasure to meet you at last, Don! You don't know how long I've-"

Karnage quickly pulled back his hand, with an annoyed and insulted look on his face.

"Don't grab Karnage's hand, you strange, simple man!" he said, as he wiped off his hand.

"I apologize... it's just that I've just been so... eager to meet you. All of you, actually."

As Karnage continued brushing off his hand, he looked over at Max again, confused. Usually, people are always afraid to be in the same room as him... but this strange man seemed more pleased than anything, which creeped Karnage out a bit.

"Whaaa...t? Who... are you?"

"My name is Max Keeton. I'm an officer... Excuse me, 'ex-officer' of the Usland Air Force."

"Are... Are all of you like this? I didn't know those fly boys admired me so... so much..."

"No, no, Don, it's not like that at all. My fellow colleagues cannot appreciate the true craft and excellence of the Air Pirates... but I'm... I'm different! I understand you!"

"...O-oh..." said Karnage, with a hint of awkwardness in his voice, as if he regretted giving this guy an audience.

"Now, Don... I know you've probably heard what people have been saying about you recently, right? About how you guys aren't as good or as threatening as you used to be?"

After hearing that, Karnage's mood quickly turned to anger. He grabbed Max by the coat and brought him closer, speaking with a bit of a growl in his voice.

"Did you come all this way, just to MOCK Karnage! I should-"

Without any fear in his voice, and barely a change in expression, Max interrupted the Pirate before he could finish.

"Relax, Don. I came here to give you something that'll help fix your problem."

"HEY! Do not you interrupt me, you little-... Wait, What? What did you say?"

"I said, I came here to give you-"

"Don't repeat yourself, you stupid man! What 'something'? What do you mean it'll help 'fix our problem'?"

"Inside that cargo plane is a device that will help you gain back your place at the top of the food chain. No more will the Usland, Khan, Thembria, or any other air force be a problem to you... Not with what's in there, anyway."

Karnage let go of Max, then put his hand on his chin, thinking about what he had just heard.

"They won't be a problem anymore, no? Karnage likes the sound of that!"

"But Boss!" said Maddog, not sold on whether or not they could believe the coyote. "How do you know you can trust him! That guy creeps me out..."

"I don't know... AND I DON'T CARE! Show Karnage this 'thing' that will help us!"

"Yes, of course! Please, come this way." said Max.

Max turned around and led the two pirates to the cargo hold of his plane. While they walked, Karnage kept his hand on the hilt of his sword, expecting the strange pilot to pull a fast one on him at any moment. Much to his surprise, the only suspicious thing the coyote did was smile the entire time. Once inside, Max removed the tarp off of a medium-sized crate, before placing his hand on top of it.

"What you're wanting... What you 'need', that is... is inside this crate." said Max, backing away from the crate soon after.

"Hmm... I suppose saying "Open Sesame" won't do the trick, no? MADDOG! OPEN IT!"

Without hesitation, Maddog pulled out his sword and attempted to pry open the lid of the crate. After taking a moment or two, annoying the not-so-patient pirate leader, the top finally came off. Karnage looks inside, and what he saw next did nothing more than shock and stun him.

"W-wait a minute... THIS... This is...?"

"Your eyes do not deceive you. It is exactly what you think it is."

Karnage continued to eye the jet engine, which was packed carefully inside the crate. As his mouth hanged open from shock, he leaned his body down and lowered his shaking hand inside, touching the machine to feel if it were real or not. Though his memory of that day wasn't too great, he remembered when this piece of machinery slipped out of his fingers. Now, it was laying right in front of him, with absolutely no opposition to stop him from taking it. Grinning, an uncontrollable laughter overtook him, as he leaned back up and rubbed his hands together.

"Heh... Ha.. ha ha... HA HA HAHH! Yes, I did need this... and now, she is mine, yet again! If the people thought Karnage and his pirates were frightening before, wait until they get a piece of us with THIS! Heh heh heh... HA ha ha! I dunno why it is, but I cannot stop laughing! Ha-"

"I'm glad my 'gift' pleases you. Now, how about we talk about what you have to trade, before I give it to you?"

"All those stupid fly boys at Khan won't know what hit them! Not even that fat bear will- Wait, trade? What trade! KARNAGE DOES NOT TRADE!"

"Please, here me out."

Karnage groaned, before crossing his arms and looking away. "Argh! Fine, I'm listening... But make it quick!"

"Please, Don, I-"

"It's KAR-NAGE! Quit calling me by my first name!" said the pirate leader, with a growl in his voice.

"Right, I apologize. Please, 'Karnage'... I'm tired of the old world. Those guys in the Air Force... They've lost sight of what it means to be a 'real pilot'."

"And where might you going with this, hmm?"

"In exchange for the engine... Please, allow me to become a pirate!"

"...'Scuseh me? You, join US?" said Karnage, uncrossing his arms and pointing towards the coyote.

"I may not be famous or revered as some... but my piloting skills have been applauded and acknowledged many times. Not only that, but I can teach you the flight patterns and routine tactics that Usland teaches all their pilots... which means you'd know how to combat and stop them before they become a threat. I'd be a valuable asset, I assure you, and I'm more than willing to kill and steal in your name. What have you got to lose?"

Again, Karnage put his hand on his chin, rubbing it as he considered the whole deal. After considering it for a short time, he turned around and pointed at Maddog, whose attention was scattered elsewhere.

"You! Go back and call for the others! We'll need more muscle in order to carry this thing onto the Vulture, yes!"

"Yes, sirrr!"

Maddog quickly left the cargo plane, stumbling a bit as he leapt outside and ran towards their three stationary planes. As Karnage watched his pirate disappear into the slightly snow-blurred distance, Max took the whole gesture as a sign that his request was granted.

"That's great! You don't know how happy you've made me, Do- Karnage! To think, I finally get to see the inside of that magnificent vessel! Trust me, sir, you won't-"

"No no, you stupid man." said the pirate leader, interrupting him before his idea got too carried away. "'Don' does not trade, or does he let weird, creepy people become a pirate! But I will gladly take this magnificent engine off your hands, and you will sit happily in the corner and do nothing about it, yes no?"

Max's expression turned to shock, as if his whole world had just been destroyed. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, which lead him to panic.

"N...N-no! That's not part of the deal! You HAVE to let me become a pirate! I risked so much to get this to you! You owe me, Don!"

"GRR... Did you not hear what I said BEFORE! Do NOT call me by my first-"

Before he could finish, Max approached Karnage, and grabbed him by the jacket. Even more frantic than before, he began to convulse and breathe harder. It was as-if the pirate's words of rejection went in one ear and out the other.

"What do I have to do! Do I need to prove myself to you! I'll do anything! You can't do this to me! I've waited my whole life for-"

"LET GO OF ME!" yelled Karnage.

Grabbing the crazed coyote, Karnage used all of his might to throw him across the small cargo room. Max landed hard on the floor a couple yards away, rolling another foot or two before moaning in pain. Believing he wouldn't get back up, the pirate leader walked towards the exit of the plane, waiting for his men to arrive. Before he could get too far, Max crawled over and grabbed him by the leg, preventing him from moving any further. This took Karnage by surprise, as he lost his balance and fell chest-first onto the metal floor below. With a pathetic look on his face, Max continued his plea to the pirate.

"NO! YOU CAN'T! I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK TO THAT OLD WORLD, PLEASE!"

Tired of his antics, Karnage used his free leg to kick the coyote as hard as he could. After the second blow to his head, Max finally let go, grasping his face and moaning in pain. Quickly standing back up, the pirate leader approached the coyote and kicked him one last time. Unlike the last two, this one knocked him out cold.

"No one touches Karnage!" he said, with an angry and disgusted look on his face.

Trying to brush off their little skirmish like it never happened, Karnage casually adjusted his jacket and wiped off any dust that found its way onto him with his hand. While he did this, the third pirate from before entered the cargo plane and approached his leader. As Karnage watched him come closer, an angry expression overtook his face.

"What are you doing away from the planes! Can you useless lackeys do nothing right!"

The 'lackey' pirate stepped back a little, frightened by the scowl of his leader. Trying not to inadvertently upset him any further, he quickly replied back with an answer he thought made sense, though he stumbled with his words a bit.

"S-sir, M-M-Maddog is with them, sir!"

"Oh yeah... Heh, I forgot. My bad."

Knowing that he was off the hook for that particular instance, the lackey pirate let out a sigh of relief. Soon after, he looked around and eventually saw the unconscious Max. He noticed the bruises on his face, and couldn't help but inquire as to what went on while he watched the planes.

"What happened to him, sir? Did something happen?"

"I dunno... He went a little crazy on Karnage, so he had to be subdued. Now, enough of your silly questions! Hand me that rope over there on the wall!"

The pirate looked behind him, confused, though he didn't dare hesitate to refuse an order. While grabbing the rope, he couldn't help but inquire to his pirate leader once again, despite how he's not suppose to ask any more questions.

"What are you planning, sir?"

"We're throwing him into a cell. I don't really want someone like him on the Vulture... but we don't have a choice."

"What about the cargo plane? We can't just leave it here... can we?"

"Grr! I forgot about this hunk of junk! We cannot afford to leave any traces of us being here... especially after what one of our own did at that Lighthouse..."

"I-I'm sorry, sir! I never gave him the order to do that!" said the lackey, nervous.

"You should be sorry, since I'm holding you responsible for his actions! What he did alone might give us some unwanted attention, and enough of our men have already been arrested... But, I suppose what's done is done. Regardless, we'll just have to bring the plane with us too... it'll at least be good for spare parts or something, no?"

With that, the lackey tied up the unconscious coyote, as Karnage walked over to stand in the exit of the cargo hold. Looking out into the snow-blurred sky, he witnessed his terrifying flying fortress fade in from out of the distance. As it drew closer, multiple pirates in their planes flew towards his location, which lead Karnage to develop a grin on his face as he laughed in pleasure.

"Well... What started out as a scavenger hunt for food and supplies, turned into something... completely different. Maybe Karnage's luck's not so bad after all, no!"

Back at the restaurant, Ace continued his peaceful nap. That all came to an end though, when a loud noise emanated from the kitchen. The sound of a large handful of plates crashing onto the concrete floor echoed through the building, waking the sleeping wolf instantly. Dazed and eyes half-open, he tiredly looked around until his attention focused on the doors that lead to the kitchen. On the other side, someone, presumably the owner, was yelling at whoever broke the dishes.

"You clumsy oaf! This is coming out of your pay! Now, clean this mess up!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-"

Ace chuckled. "Heh... Good luck, pal."

Sitting up, Ace stretched his arms forward while letting out a big yawn. Looking around, he noticed a wall clock, quickly discovering that he'd only been napping for a little less than an hour. Though it was only for a short time, he felt much better than he did before. Unfortunately, another sneeze overtook him, reminding him that despite the nap and full belly, his cold was still just as annoying as ever.

Getting up from the table booth, Ace looked around the dining area to see if the cadet was anywhere to be found. Surprisingly, he wasn't, which made him wonder if Nathaniel forgot all about his promise. Before he could think on the subject for much longer, his waitress from before passed by him. Noticing the wolf was finally awake, she stopped for a moment to give him some information.

"Oh, have a pleasant nap, hun?"

"Yeah" said Ace, rubbing one of his eyes. "Until that loud noise woke me up."

"Sorry about that, but accidents happen. By the way, if you're looking for your friend, he's in the pool room."

"Pool room? What's he doing in there? Oh- Thanks, by the way."

"No problem."

Without saying another word, she quickly left and went through the doors to the kitchen. Ace could tell that she had some resentment for him, which he knew was caused by his bad reputation, as always. Still, he couldn't help but feel fortunate; unlike many of the others, at least she didn't try to belittle or insult him. He took that as a sign that things might be a little different today.

As Ace walked into the room, he quickly noticed Nathaniel, who was in the midst of a solitary game of pool. Judging from his removed coat, he must have been playing for a while, as someone who only wanted to play a quick game wouldn't have bothered. Now, the only thing he wore was his white shirt, which could normally be seen, his fingerless gloves, which Ace never understood the point of, and a black vest, one that couldn't be seen before.

Instead of letting his presence be known, Ace quietly stood in the doorway, watching the cadet take his next shot. Going by Nathaniel's stance and how he held the cue, it was obvious to the wolf that he wasn't an experienced player, which lead him to presume that his next shot would miss. Sure enough, it did, and Nathaniel let out a groan of disappointment. As he leaned back up to ready for his next shot, he noticed Ace standing in the doorway.

"Oh, hey!" said Nathaniel, raising his hand up half-way to wave. "I take it that loud noise woke you up, huh? Well, I was going to wake you up pretty soon anyway. So, how are you feeling? Any better?"

Ace walked over to one of the chairs next to the pool table, and quickly took a seat on the nearest one. Resting his elbow on his knee, he propped up his head with his arm and fist as he turned to look over at the cadet. He let out one more yawn, before answering back.

"Yeah, though I'll feel better once I have a chance to wake up a bit more. By the way, what are you doing in here anyway, kid? I thought you were going to go ask around and such?"

"I did, but it didn't take me too long. You were right though, nobody here knows anything either."

"Oh..." said Ace, looking disappointed.

"Hey now, don't be so pessimistic! The day's just started, after all. Besides, the skies are much more clearer than they were yesterday, so I'm sure we'll have better luck tonight."

As Nathaniel said that, he moved over to the other side of the pool table, and positioned himself to hit the cue ball once again. Leaning down, he tried to eye out the path he thought it would go, assuming things went according to how he saw them in his mind. Before taking aim, he turned to speak to Ace once again.

"But to answer your question, I'm in here because after asking around and filling up our planes with gas, I noticed it hadn't even been an hour yet, so I decided to play a couple games of pool... You know, just to pass some time until I thought I should wake you up."

"Fair enough." said the wolf, nodding once.

As Ace sat, trying hard not to fall back to sleep, he watched Nathaniel as he continued his game by taking another shot. After a couple of seconds, something clicked in the wolf's mind, once he finally realized something the cadet said.

"Wait, filling up our... Kid, did you pilot my plane!"

Nathaniel's eyes sprung right open, as he missed the aim on the cue ball, making it go in every which direction he didn't want it to. Nervously, he looked over at the wolf, who was now glaring at him. He meant to keep that a secret until later, as he knew Ace was probably sensitive about who flew his 'baby'. Unfortunately, it was out in the open now, and he knew he had to be careful with what he said in his response. To say the least, despite his bad play, he actually managed to knock one of the solid ball into one of the corner pockets, even if it was an accident.

"Well... I... Uhh... Alright, alright... I did get in your plane... but I didn't fly it! I figured we needed the fuel, so I drove it over to the pumps... I swear Ace, that's all I did."

Looking in the opposite direction, Ace thought about what the cadet said. After a second or two though, he turned his head back to face Nathaniel, with a not-so-annoyed expression anymore.

"I'll let it slide this time, but DON'T go doing that again without my permission, you hear! It may have a couple bullet holes and cracked windshield, but she's still my pride and joy kid. I don't want anything else happening to her."

"I know, I know... I won't do it again, I promise."

Believing he was off the hook, Nathaniel re-positioned himself to shoot at the cue ball once again. While he did this, Ace stood up and moved over to the window. He looked out at his plane, which despite being moved some time ago, was practically in the exact-same position he left it. As he turned to face Nathaniel once again, he heard him grunt in annoyance, indicating he missed another shot.

"Geez, I'm no good at this game..."

"Hey..." said Ace, ignoring the cadet's displeasure towards his playing skills. "How much fuel did you put in them, anyway?"

"Hmm? Oh, I figured we'd be out for quite some time today, so I filled them both up completely."

"Wait, what! How much did that... Kid, how much money do you have on you?"

Nathaniel looked over at Ace, smiling, as he let out a small laugh.

"Don't worry about it. I had the money, and we needed the-"

Before the cadet could finish, another sneeze came out of Ace. This time, it was a bit more stronger than the last, as it made him step backwards once or twice. Wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his coat, Ace let out a sickly moan."

"Sorry about that. Go on."

"No problem. But I'm kinda glad you did that, because I almost forgot about something. Just a sec..."

Placing the pool cue down on the table, Nathaniel walked over to the chair he placed his coat on, and reached into one of the pockets. After a second or two, he pulled out a tiny bottle, and tossed it over to Ace. Catching it, he held the item in his fingers, and looked down to read the label.

"Heh...Cold Remedy. Thanks, kid."

"No problem. I figured you'd need it, so I bought some while you were sleeping."

"How much do I owe you?" said Ace, looking back up at the cadet while still holding the bottle up.

"Don't worry about it. It's on me again. I feel it's the least I can do for what happened last night."

Ace remained where he stood, looking back down at the bottle once again. Even after everything he had said and done, he couldn't believe how kind Nathaniel was being to him. Though it made him a little suspicious, Ace couldn't complain, as he liked being around someone who was kind to him for once. Still, after a moment or two later, his smile turned back to confusion. Again, where did the cadet get the money to pay for this, Ace thought to himself. The breakfast, the fuel, the expensive name-brand medicine he held in his hand... it just didn't add up. Then, the wolf thought about a possible answer, believing it to be the only reasonable explanation Once he came to this realization, it put the smile back on his face.

"Aww, kid! You shouldn't have done that! Now I feel bad!"

Nathaniel picked back up his pool cue, but before he positioned himself to make the next shot, he stopped and looked around the room with confusion. After a second or two, he eventually turned to face Ace, wondering if the still-somewhat pale wolf was feeling alright after all.

"Shouldn't... Shouldn't have... done what?"

"Come on, I was a cadet once too, you know! You probably had the same thoughts I did, back when I had to pilot something similar to 'that'." said Ace, using his thumb to point at Nathaniel's craft. "Now, unless you're the son of some rich Thembrian I've never heard of, there's only one explanation; You're saving up for a new plane, aren't you!"

Nathaniel turned back around, letting out a small laugh as a big grin appeared on his face. Before answering, he tried to sink another ball into one of the corner pockets, though it ended up missing yet again.

"I didn't think I'd be that easy to read... but yeah, you're right. That plane... It's nice to start out with, but I can't lie; it's a piece of junk. After going to so many air shows, that thing sounds like a sick dog by comparison to what I've heard. I'm hoping to save up and buy a new plane, because... Well, I really hope I don't have to spend the rest of my days in the air in, as you put it... 'THAT'."

Ace laughed, as he walked over to Nathaniel. Sitting on the side of the pool table, he held the bottle of cold remedy in one hand and opened it with the other, though he hesitated to take a drink in order to continue the conversation.

"It seems you know a thing or two about planes! I gotta say, I was a bit wrong about you, kid!"

"I wouldn't say that. I know how to fly a plane and such, but that's about it. I don't think I could work on one or tell someone how to fix a certain problem. The stuff I know comes from the various air shows, and maybe some of the stuff people have talked about at the base. I'm no expert, but I'd like to think I know a good plane when I see one."

Ace looked over at the cadet with a curious look. Nathaniel realized the reasoning behind his stare, and with a look of guilt on his face, knew what he had to say to fix it.

"I know... Despite what I said about your plane last night... She's definitely one of the good ones."

Ace continued his stare, prompting Nathaniel to laugh as he knew he had to take it a 'step further'.

"...Alright, alright! She's one of the 'great' ones, I swear!"

Ace grinned and laughed. "You've got that right! You know, Kid, you're not so bad after all!"

Nathaniel snickered. Though he knew the wolf was playing around, he didn't mind saying what he said. Deep down, a part of him believed it as well.

"I had a feeling you'd approve."

As the cadet prepared to take his next shot, Ace lifted up the cold remedy bottle and placed the opening in his mouth. Instead of reading the instructions, he gulped down whatever he felt was the appropriate amount. After missing yet again, Nathaniel looked up and saw what the wolf was doing, as a half-grossed out look appeared on his face.

"Yuck... that can't taste too good."

Removing the bottle, an uneasy look also appeared on Ace's face as he replied to the cadet.

"You're right, it doesn't... but as long as it works, that's all that matters."

"I hope it does." said Nathaniel, as he watched the cue ball sink into one of the corner pockets. "Geez, I'm not getting any better at this. Hey, Ace... Do you play pool? "

"I used to, quite a bit." said Ace, as he placed and twisted the cap on the bottle, before placing it into his coat pocket. "I haven't here lately though, on the account of... You-know-what."

"Well, how about it then? Want to play a game? Just a quick one?"

Ace stood up and turned around, looking down at the pool table as he took a moment to decide. Considering how long it had been, he knew that his skills wouldn't be as good as they used to be. Still, he decided to take up Nathaniel's offer anyway.

"Alright, kid, but only a few games. I don't want to waste too much more time here."

"That's fine. Sure you're not too rusty though?" Nathaniel said, with a grin on his face.

"Hey, you watch yourself, kid! You don't know who you're talking to here!"

As Nathaniel racked up the balls, Ace grabbed a pool cue of his own off the wall and began chalking it up. Placing it on the table, he rolled it around a bit, just to make sure it wasn't bent or crooked. Satisfied, he took off his coat and placed it on a chair, one that was next to Nathaniel's. Taking the cue in hand, he positioned himself on the opposite end of the table, preparing to make the first shot. With everything in place, Ace hit the cue ball in order to perform a break. Luck seemed to be on his side, as two stripped balls went into a hole on his first go. Still his turn, Ace took another shot, sinking his targets with ease. Again and again, he quickly moved around the table, clearing all the stripped balls using his various skills and techniques he had learned over the years. Nathaniel could do little more than watch in complete awe, as he was too speechless to comment on Ace's superior skills.

About fifteen minutes later, the two continued playing. Over on the wall, they had been keeping score, though sadly for the cadet, the chalk board indicated that he hadn't won a single game. Despite his losing streak, he was still having fun, even if he only got to play maybe once or twice per game. It all came down to whether or not Ace would mess up, or if he allowed him to break.

Still amazed, Nathaniel couldn't help but compliment the wolf's superior skills.

"Wow, Ace... I have to say, you're fantastic."

"You thought I was only skilled at piloting a plane? Come on, give me a little more credit than that!"

Nathaniel laughed. "Seriously, even with your bad shoulder, you're still great. I don't even want to imagine what you'd be like at the top of your game. You have to be among the best there is."

Ace grinned, as he made his next shot. "As much as I'd like to say I am, there's plenty of people out there who are better than me."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Nahhhh, it's true. I'm good, but I've played against quite a few people who are better than me. One person in particular used to beat me all the time at this game." Ace laughed, before finishing his sentence. "Though back then, I never admitted it."

"Oh, yeah? Who was that? Some famous pool player or something?"

"No, nobody famous like that. It was some bear I used to be pals with. We're not anymore though... Of course, that's my fault."

Nathaniel saw Ace's expression turn to disappointment. This distracted him as he took the next shot, which ended up causing him to miss. Without paying attention to the game on the table, the cadet inquired more about whoever he was talking about.

"Did that also have to do with-" said Nathaniel, stopping himself from finishing the sentence. "Never mind. Sorry if I brought up an old wound."

"...Actually, that 'day' didn't help, but it goes back further than that... but, it's a long story. Maybe I'll tell you about it, someday." said Ace, as he shrugged his shoulders in an attempt to push away his negative thoughts. "Anyway, it's your turn now."

"Oh, alright."

Taking a hold of his cue, Nathaniel prepared for his next shot, trying to plan out and aim at one of the seven, out of seven, remaining solid-colored balls on the table. Before doing this, he sarcastically predicted how he thought his turn would go.

"I wouldn't relax just yet. This won't take long."

Chalking up his cue, Ace watched the cadet. Like before, he observed how Nathaniel held the cue, as well as his stance. Knowing that was part of his problem, Ace stopped him before he could take the shot.

"Wait, don't move, kid! Hang on a sec."

"Huh? Why?"

Though he was confused, Nathaniel did what he was told. Leaning his pool cue against the wall, Ace walked over to where his opponent remained leaning over the table. Without saying a word, he began to change the cadet's position, as well as how he held the cue. First, he brought his right arm up a bit, before changing the position of his left hand on the table. Then, he laid his palm flat on the cadet's back, forcing him to bend his knees and back slightly. He finished up by hunching down himself, getting eye-level with the table to make sure everything was right.

"Until you're as skilled as I am, you should try to go by the basics of how to play the game right... and a part of that is how you stand and actually go about hitting the ball. Now, lower your head a little bit, and make sure you properly eye out the path of the ball. Take your time, move the cue back and forth, and try to get the english just right, or the cue ball might go somewhere you never intended it to."

"English?" said Nathaniel, confused.

"Where you want the tip of the cue to hit the ball. Get that right, and you can practically make the cue ball do what you want, like move in an arch, jump, roll back towards you, and other things... but I wouldn't worry about fancy tricks like that for now. Just try to hit it in the center as best as you can, and again, take your time."

"Oh, okay. Eye out the path... hit the ball dead-center... take my time..."

Nathaniel slowly moved the cue back and forth, nervously trying to do a good job, as Ace was watching his every move. Looking over the position of the balls on the table, the cadet believed he had eyed out the path correctly, and took the shot. Much to his surprise, he successfully knocked his target into a corner pocket. Ace smiled, as he stood up and patted the cadet on the back.

"Hey! There you go! Well done, kid!"

"Wow, I actually did it!"

"Ha ha, of course! Ace London's teaching you, after all!" said the wolf, looking proud. "Now, try again, and remember what I told you. Also, remember that just because you see me or someone else showing off like a pro, doesn't mean you should try to emulate that. Like piloting a plane, it all starts out with the basics, and works its way up from there."

Moving over to the location where the cue ball stopped, Nathaniel took aim once again. Using the wolf's advice for a second time, he scored another ball into a corner pocket.

"Geez, look at me! That's two in a row! Heh, maybe I can provide a decent challenge to you now!" said Nathaniel, laughing while smiling.

Ace laughed alongside the cadet, as he started chalking up his cue again. "Now wait a minute, kid, don't go dusting off a place on your shelf for a trophy just yet! You've still got a long way to go. Keep practicing though. Who knows... Maybe you'll become as good as me... maybe even better?"

"Heh... Maybe."

As he said that, Nathaniel looked down at his hands, which were both gripping the pool cue. He smiled slightly, though an odd look of sorrow appeared on his face. Noticing this, Ace began to believe he said something he shouldn't have, and tried to fix his supposed mistake.

"Is something wrong? I didn't mean anything bad when I said-"

"Huh? Oh, no no..." said Nathaniel, interrupting the wolf as he lifted his head back up. "It's not that. I was just... thinking. Thanks, Ace... for teaching me how to play this game right, and all."

"Hey, no problem! I can be a nice guy too, you know. Don't go listening to EVERYTHING you hear about me!" said Ace, smiling as he joked.

"Heh... I won't. Oh, I forgot! It's still my turn."

As Nathaniel got into position to hit the cue ball, he once again tried to remember Ace's advice. Before he took his turn, he said something out-loud, as he eyed-out the path on the table.

"I've got to tell you though... I'm happy to know they were wrong about you after all."

"What do you mean? Who's 'They'?" said Ace, as his previously-cheerful attitude turned a bit serious.

Holding off the wolf's question, Nathaniel struck the cue ball. Unfortunately, despite the advice from earlier, this shot ended up missing. Instead of commenting on the game though, Nathaniel put the cue to his side and looked over at Ace.

"The guys at the base."

"Oh... I take it my name still gets around in there, huh?"

"Yeah... it does. They bad-mouth you all the time... but, you know what?" said Nathaniel, cheering up. "I think they're full of it. Despite our rocky start, I don't think you're like what they described at all. It was the townsfolks and my own stupidity that caused your bad attitude last night. All things considered, I don't blame you how you acted... I can't say I would've been any different."

"Maybe... but I still let my anger get the best of me, and I've been trying to watch that."

"A person can only hold back something like that for so long. Besides, you never hurt me or anything... well, physically. I gotta admit," said Nathaniel, saying the next part with a smile, "it's not too fun being called a 'tusk-nosed punk'. But seriously, Ace, I wouldn't go beating yourself up about it..."

"Thanks... but..."

Before he finished, Ace moved over the other side of the table to take his turn, as Nathaniel waited and watched for him to finish what he was about to say. Like usual, he struck the cue ball with his cue, sinking his target into one of the pockets. As he waited for things to come to a halt on the table, he continued his conversation with Nathaniel.

"I don't think all that stuff you said about me... would've been true a couple months ago."

"Why...? What makes you say that?"

Ace sighs. "Trust me, it's not a pretty picture... and really, it's one of the reasons why my reputation is so bad."

"If you want to talk about it, go ahead... I'll listen."

Before he did just that, Ace sunk another ball into a pocket. Waiting for the cue ball to come to a halt yet again, he continued his story.

"When I lost that important piece of cargo... when I shot at that civilian... I never considered it my fault. It's embarrassing to admit, but I was one of those people who believed I could do no wrong... you know, 'I'm always right, no exceptions'. Because of that, I blamed everyone else for the longest time. I held a grudge against the world, and those who I felt should've ran to my defense without asking questions."

Again, Ace took the shot, and again, sunk another ball. As he played, he continued...

"That arrogance and pride of mine carried over to my next job. You know what the sad thing is? It was great job... One that paid a good amount of money. I wouldn't be able to afford the luxuries I had when I was an officer and test pilot in the Air Force, but I could've been living the good life all the same. 'Could have' though, except I rarely ever helped out and couldn't get along with anyone, simply because I thought I was 'too good' for not only them, but for the job as well. I was eventually fired, though I found a second job soon afterwords."

A bit more distracted this time, Ace took his shot, but missed the hole. Neither of the two really noticed, as the wolf told more of his story.

"That went even worse than the last one. It wasn't even a month before I was fired again, though this time, I tried to go out fighting. I argued with my ex-boss... I said 'You're just getting rid of me because all your lousy pilots pale in comparison to my skills'. Of course, that's just the tame and abridged version of what I really said..."

"What happened then?" asked Nathaniel, completely ignoring that it was his turn.

"One of my ex-co-workers finally grew tired of my attitude, and literally told me off. I thought he was just another person jealous of my piloting skills... But everything he said to me that day... It all made just too much sense... Every bit of it. So much so, that not even I could argue with it."

"Ace.."

"Afterwords, I think that's when I finally started to change. Someone finally got through to me, and I started to realize just how dumb I was. From that point on, I accepted all the things I did as my fault, and I stopped blaming everyone around me... Though by that point, it was too late. My reputation was ruined, and everyone came to know me as a hot-headed pilot... One to be avoided at all costs. Nobody would hire me anymore, nor would they even give me a chance. Despite how much I changed for the better, it no longer mattered."

Nathaniel looked down at his cue. "That's why all those people wouldn't talk to you last night."

"Yeah, that's exactly it. I'm thirty-seven years old, and I've spent over half my lifetime being a cruel jerk... Well, it finally caught up with me, and now I have to answer up to it... And at the worst time possible, too."

Nathaniel looked over at Ace again, with a sympathetic expression on his face. Now, he felt even more guilty about all the things he said and did last night.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all of that."

Ace shrugged. "Well, I suppose it's not all bad. I am a better person now... Even if other people can't see it."

"...I can."

Ace smiled. "Thanks, pal... By the way, I think I missed my last shot. You gonna shoot?"

Nathaniel looked down at the table, and saw that only the eight-ball was left for Ace to shoot into the hole. Though he could probably sink a few more balls into a pocket, he laid his cue on the table and shook his head.

"...Nahh. I think we've got more important things to do."

Ace nodded his head, liking that the cadet was ready to finally get into action.


End file.
